A Purr-fect Match
by Kidscomix
Summary: In Season One, Ward's betrayal squashed any romantic chances with Skye so when Skye's long-lost father orchestrates her abduction, the former SHIELD agent reluctantly is recruited by his former teammates to rescue her. As the pair are caught up in the middle of an ancient civil war, the "Man of Wonder" and the newly anointed "Tigress" must fight their feelings to save the world.
1. Chapter 1

_A Tibetan Monastery_

"I found your daughter."

The woman looked stunning in the silk printed flower dresses that hugged her slender curves and complimented the dark hosiery that she wore and patent leather pumps that made click-clack sounds across the concrete floor. She was beautiful, exotically beautiful, from the mocha colored tone of her skin to the ebony curls of her hair that accentuated the long curves of her black lashes and dark mysterious eyes. The man could not help but stare at her. Her mouth curved into what appeared to be a semi-smile as she spoke further.

"I should tell you who I am…"

"_I know who you are."_ He whispered. His voice barely uttered a few words due to his disfigurement. The flesh had practically melted off, revealing almost the final layer of bone. The eyes, close to death, burned with rage and anger and displayed that last spark of life as the man fought with every ounce to stay alive despite the oxygen tubing and breathing apparatus connecting him to the life giving machines nearby. He sat in his wheelchair, clutching the armrests with his damaged hands and followed the woman's movements around the cold, stone room. Blood secreted from the pus infested wounds even as his malformed fingers lifted slowly and pointed at the woman. _"You are Raina. You've come a long way to see me."_

Taking a few steps back in surprise, the girl in the flower dress cocked her head to side and folded her arms. The disfigured man knew her. She wondered how. Did her reputation precede her? Did she gain a criminal following after being involved in the events of the Centipede project and the orchestrations of HYDRA double agent John Garrett? She had to know.

"How do you know me?"

A small snicker, accompanied by a slight cough escaped the man's deformed lips. _"We've been following you all your life…You've always wondered who you are…What you are…"_

Hope sparked in the woman's eyes. She walked over to the man but was stopped by the large Asian bodyguard in a suit who blocked her path with his arm. The man made a small gesture with his hand and allowed Raina through.

In her excitement and her need for answers, she knelt down in front of the deformed man and placed her own hands into the same bleeding and pus-ridden fingers of the stranger she had desperately searched for all her life. Her face beamed the moment she lifted her face and stared into the dead eyes of the person in the wheelchair.

"What am I? Who or what will I become?"

"_One of us…" _The man managed to crack a smile through the disfigurement of his mouth. _"You've finally…returned to your…people…Only the truest of organisms evolve…survival of the fittest…we are the strong…all others are weak…" _His bloody fingers stroked her cheek, leaving a scarlet line across her skin. _"It was our kind…who were here…before humans…and it will be us…who will continue to inherit the Earth…For that…dear Raina…you must accept…your true nature…and evolve…"_

A tear streaked down the woman's face. "I do accept. I wish to evolve. Show me how!"

The man nodded. _"You must first…tell me of my daughter…bring her back…to me…so she can accept…the destiny…that was bestowed up her…before she was taken away…from us…"_

Raina shook her head. She moved away from the man and stood up in front of him as she wiped away the smear of blood on her cheek. "That'll prove difficult. She is protected. She has joined a government group called S.H.I.E.L.D. that has many operatives that will make this task more difficult. She won't come willingly."

Laughter echoed the room. It came from the deformed man. _"I know about S.H.I.E.L.D…I'm haven't been foolish…concerning my daughter's whereabouts….It certainly will be a difficult mission…However, our people…have developed the resources to achieve our goals…We will wait…Until the time will come…To retrieve her…Then when we're finally reunited…She'll understand and accept her fate…So that she can enact her revenge…on the people who wronged us…"_

Confused, Raina questioned the man. "And who might that be?"

Through his oxygen tube, a slight hiss emitted from his lips. _"The ones…who did this to me…The ones who murdered my wife…The ones who forced our people…into hiding…We will finally have…our retribution…" _His dark eyes suddenly changed. A strange, yellowish green glow flickered through the sockets of his grotesque appearance as the woman in the flower dress finally saw a glimmer of what he was referring to. These people, her people, were not human. As far as she could tell, neither was she.

A thin oval slit formed over the pupil to where the iris glowed with a yellowish green tint, she instantly concluded the type of species the strange man and his people were and what she was in relation to them.

Feline.

* * *

_The Citadel_

Deep in the Pentagon's underground facility houses the world's most dangerous criminals. Referred to as the Citadel, the elaborate high tech penitentiary became the United States' main holding tank for highly classified terrorists and warmongers after the demise of the Fridge in North America after H.Y.D.R.A.'s infiltration and destruction of the government prison. Now used as the main maximum security prison and monitored by the American military and defense department, the Citadel became the area where traitors like former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Grant Ward were transferred to in order to serve for their war crimes.

Placing his back against the cold concrete of his cell, Ward pulled his legs back and jutted his limbs out as he repeated this motion in order to keep his heart rate going and to alleviate the boredom of being cooped up for weeks in his new home. He figured exercise would help make the days go faster since he was serving a hundred year sentence to life for the assassination of Agent Victoria Hand as well as a dozen fellow operatives. Plus, he was willing accomplice to his mentor, John Garrett's, traitorous activities to which he was convicted of those crimes as well. Clad in white prison scrubs, he switched his position to doing push-ups on the ground as his eyes noticed a couple of the Pentagon guards observing him from the bulletproof glass window of his cell.

"Look!" One of the guards, a man named Larry Penhall, who wore a thick mustache, snorted to his female comrade with thick glasses and blonde hair tied neatly into a bun. She examined Ward with keen interest while he continued to workout. Her security partner did not seem impressed by the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Larry snorted. "I don't know why he bothers exercising! It's not like he needs to be in shape for some mission anytime soon!"

Ward ignored the insults. He expected to be watched, ridiculed, and taunted for his actions. It was part of the deal he accepted by being a double agent. He did commit the crimes he was guilty of. John Garrett gave him a purpose when he had none and he carried it out like the good soldier he was trained to be. No matter if his mentor was a traitor and a murderer; he made Grant Ward the man that he was, courageous, fearless, and strong. John believed in him and that was all that mattered. He wished he could he say the same about his parents and his family. They screwed up his childhood which explained much of his displaced anger and emotionless state. John used all those negative feelings and channeled that rage into something greater: a well-trained operative who played both sides. He did not feel guilty about his actions one bit, except for one thing. Her.

He never intended to develop feelings for Skye. When Agent Coulson recruited the hacker into the team, she was considered more of annoyance than an actual vital part of the group but over time she won him over. Her humorous wit, wide-eyed optimism, and sweet innocent broke through his barriers. Ward never thought he could get close to anyone. Not since his canine companion, Buddy, had he thought he could build a connection with someone. Even when John forced him to shoot his only friend, he just could not see himself pulling the trigger on Skye. She was different. She was unique, special in her own way, which was difficult to explain. She saw the good in him even when he thought he had lost that part of himself. Somehow she brought it back. More importantly, she was finally his.

Now she was gone. Rolling over on to his back, he stared at the stone ceiling of his confines and fought the urge to cry. He had messed things up so badly. The one spark of hope that made him a man diminished the moment she rejected him. With her faith in him gone, he hand nothing but time and an empty cell.

Short taps on the glass interrupted his thoughts. One of the security workers kept striking it with his wooden baton. Every so often Larry the male guard would purposely annoy him by striking the transparent barrier of his cell. The sound would resonate and vibrate that it made having a peaceful, quiet time difficult. Ward eventually learned to drown out the noise.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER?" Larry yelled. "TOO LOUD FOR YA?"

Ward covered his ears and tried to swallow his annoyance. His throat still hurt from where Melinda May crushed his larynx. Even if he a chance to takeout his opponent, he knew better than to battle the Calvary. Melina certainly had a strong fist and he knew it all too well whenever he soothed his healing esophagus with his fingers. Instead, he sat back against the bed and waited for the two guards to leave.

"Is that really necessary?" The female guard scolded his coworker. "The man is already locked up. There's no need for you to be obnoxious." She frowned at the man.

His face scowled. "What crawled up your butt? How long have you been working here, Miss Plunder?"

"A week." The blonde woman sighed.

Flaring his nostrils, the guard twisted his mouth. "That's right. I've been here for six years, guarding these lowlifes. That makes me outrank you! If I want to treat them like trash, then I will! These scumbags deserve it!"

Angelica Plunder shook her head. She knew this job involve high level security work but she refused to treat prisoners any less than human beings. Each one deserved to be handled with some respect. Pushing the thick glasses of her frames back to her nose, she fixed her blonde bun one more time and continued on to the next prisoner. The next door neighbor of Grant Ward happened to be a dark skinned woman who held her nose closely to the latest book she had been reading. Angelica politely tapped the glass and addressed the prisoner.

Wearing the same white scrubs as Ward and having two long, dark braids pinned back against her black hair, Akela Amador focused all her attention on the latest chapter of her young adult series she was reading through her only good eye, the right one, while her left one still was covered by an eye patch. She sensed the pair of guards watching her but lost herself in her reading.

"Good book?" Angelica asked the African American woman who glanced up briefly.

"Divergent by Veronica Roth." Akela replied, her face completely emotionless. "I recommend it." She said nothing and continued to read. Angelica turned to Larry to gather the latest information about the convict.

"What's her story?"

Larry analyzed Akela for a minute and nodded. "She's a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as well. Apparently, she was captured during a botched mission and implanted by her enemies with a bomb in her left eye. They say she was forced to carry out their initiatives including killing several international agents. The government captured her and giving her a light sentence for her crimes. She should be getting out in a year or so. Personally, they're going easy on her. She murdered some of our best people so I feel she shouldn't walk!"

Angelica sighed. "You really are not sympathetic when it comes to prisoners, are you?"

The male guard shook his head. "Why? They're all guilty. They wouldn't be here if they weren't."

"Maybe there's more to their stories," she pointed out. "Everyone isn't essentially born evil."

Larry's tongue clucked. "You're really naïve about the real world, Miss Plunder. You either are on the side of good or on the side of evil. Which one do you prefer to be on?"

A smirk appeared on the female guard's face. "The side that wins."

Before he could question her remark, a huge explosion echoed through the underground tunnel walls of the Citadel. Ward ducked and hit the concrete floor hard, covering his head with his hands, while small pieces of dust fell across his dark hair. His neighbor Akela was suddenly thrown from her bed on to the ground, leaving her to listen to the roaring bells and horns sound off to an emergency taking place.

Larry reached for his pistol from his holster while a nervous Angelica took a few steps back behind him. The guard was a bit surprised that she was not reaching for her weapon but he was too distracted to pay attention to his coworker while a large group of Pentagon guards and soldiers came rushing through the hallway armed with rifles and guns.

Another explosion shook the holding area. The guards and soldiers managed to gather their bearings and aimed their weapons toward the large elevator that was lowering down to their floor. The sound of a ding caught their attention and the doors opened to reveal a quartet of strange individuals in navy military jumpsuits that did not look quite human.

The females, both with dark hair, had golden bronze skin that exhibited a row of tiny square shaped platelets embedded on the surface of the epidermis. Each tactile shape began on their foreheads down the side of their cheeks to their necks and finally ended to the section of their collarbone. The first woman was younger, wore her jumpsuit much more revealingly, cutting the top portion at up to her cleavage while exposing her stomach which also bore the same platelet marks around her belly. Her cohort standing next to her was taller, approximately two feet higher in height and she too showed the same weird skin condition as her companion but she disguised them with the large snake tattoos on her bare arms that intertwined around her forearms and around her biceps. Indeed their appearance was quite unsettling but what made their image more sinister were the pair's glowing yellowish eyes that contained a thin slit across the pupils.

Unfazed, the soldier's leader, General Perry Haynes, raised his arm to his men and pointed his gun at the women. "Surrender or we'll shoot!" He threatened.

The younger of the duo sighed before slipping a hand across her neck. A weird mist emitted from the girl's throat, floated toward some of the soldiers and drifted through the nostrils of each of the men who inhaled her wild scent. Then with a weird echo buzzing in their ear, the strange female whispered. "Sleep."

One by one, a quarter of the soldiers dropped to the floor, their weapons slipping from their hands, as each one who fell prey to the mist dozed off immediately. Seeing some of his men fall, General Haynes gestured to the rest who were wide awake.

"SHOOT! ATTACK!"

Half of their fingers pulsed on the triggers before the second female spread her arms to show the strange movements of the snake tattoos slowly moving across her skin. Darkened shadows that surrounded the soldiers began to break away from each corner of the underground cell from the walls, floors, and ceiling. They became tangible objects, squirming like tentacles, and blanketed half the soldiers in a weird net of some sort. The blackened miasma then constricted around the men, tightening their bodies in a vicelike grip and strangled them like one huge python, none them stood a chance.

Upon watching this, the younger one's glowing eyes widened. She scolded her companion. "You said no killing!"

Her female partner grinned. "I lied."

General Haynes refused to back down. He shouted to his remaining men. "SHOOT TO KILL!"

Bullets fired at the elevator door. The older woman grabbed the younger and pulled her inside to safety as projectiles railed at the hydraulic lift. This time, their other male companions attacked. The first named Cobra was taller and larger, extremely muscular built like a bodybuilder as he leapt at the soldiers and began tossing them around like rag dolls. Bearing the same strange platelet ridges across his flesh, his skin displayed a light beige hue as his eyes glowed the same yellow tone with a weird thin slit across the pupils. However, his face was more menacing as he slid out a forked prehensile tongue which he used to ensnare a gun out of one soldier's hand or to snap the neck of another. His other male partner, known as Eel, was just as deadly.

Slender and gawky compared to Cobra, Eel's specialized electrical power took down the rest of the Pentagon guards. His abilities allowed him to move at lightning quick speed to which he demonstrated by dodging every bullet being fired toward his way. His body showed a greyish tone, unlike the beige and copper epidermal color hues his teammates sported. Rows of tiny platelet marks spread across his face, neck, and arms and he shared the same glowing yellow slit eyes that the rest of his comrades bore. A flicker of electrical current shot from the man's fingers; it served as a warning to anyone that still wanted to attack them. The Pentagon's security team learned this the hard way as their bodies, both unconscious or dead, littered the floor around them. This left only the last remaining security personnel, Larry Penhall and Angelica Plunder, to defend the perimeter.

Larry nervously shook his gun at both the hulking cobra and the electrical eel. "Stop…or I'll shoot!"

Cobra and Eel glanced at each other, smiled and slowly raised up their hands.

Feeling confident, Larry gestured with his pistol. "Now turn around and put your hands around your head."

The two villains complied with the mustache man's orders. Pleased with himself, Larry winked at Angelica.

"See! Nothing to it. Goes to show you that someone in authority is always in charge…"

His speech was cut off when Angelica performed a karate chop across his arms with her bare hands. The surprise attack caught Larry off guard as he released his gun and allowed it to fall on the floor. Shocked by his coworker's quick skills, the man had very little time to gain his bearings as Angelica struck his face with her elbow, grabbed his arm and flipped him on his back. She finished her move with a knockout attack: a quick punch to his face. Instantly, he fell unconscious. Larry Penhall did not stand a chance.

Removing their hands from behind their heads, Eel and Cobra shifted their bodies to face their covert ally, Angelica Plunder. Cobra rolled his eyes and made a rude remark toward the blonde woman. "Took you long enough."

Angelica clucked. "Oh shut up! I had to play along so this moron didn't suspect anything." She quickly darted to Ward's and Akela's cells and pushed a couple buttons on the control pad to open the transparent doors. Akela Amador was the first to take notice of the group standing at the foot of her cell. Angelica then addressed Eel and gave him his orders. "Stun her!"

Akela's dark eyes widened. A small spark flew across the room, hitting her in the chest, causing her body to convulse until finally she finally blacked out and hit the ground. Cobra crossed the opening of her confinement, picked her up, and tossed her over his right shoulder. Then he followed Angelica to where Ward was sitting and waited for any further commands.

Gesturing to Eel, Angelica pointed to the traitorous former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. "Him too!"

Realizing something amiss, Ward panicked and put up his hands. Through his damaged throat he mumbled his protest. "Wait! I'm with you guys…"

Eel cut him off with a spark from his fingertips. The current struck Ward, making him violently shake before his eyes closed off and he collapsed to the floor unconscious. Cobra seized the opportunity, marched into the cell and collected their bounty. Now with both former operatives slung over the brute's shoulders, he focused on Angelica for the next objective.

"Where to, Dr. Plunder?"

"We're leaving." The blonde woman stated. "Our getaway plane has been signaled at the rendezvous point. We have to hurry before the rest of the Pentagon's security team up above is notified." She scanned the room for her two female comrades. "Where's Black Mamba and Stacy X?"

"Right here!"

The older of the female duo spoke up. Black Mamba with her snake tattoos on her arms dragged her younger sibling out of the open elevator and toward the group. Her yellow slit eyes glared at the pile of corpses she created with her powers before returning her gaze back at Dr. Angelica Plunder.

Black Mamba curled her mouth. "How the hell do we get out of here? There's probably an army chasing us right now."

Dr. Plunder nodded. "Exactly. Luckily, the Baroness and I mapped out our escape route. There are emergency tunnels down on this level that will lead us outside of the Pentagon walls. We have exactly five minutes to reach the plane before government forces start making their way down to this floor. The Baroness has ensured a distraction as long as we make it our contact point." She pulled out a tiny device, flicked on the switch, and aimed it around the room. A tiny, bright red, laser beeped the moment it connected to a stone wall right across from the open elevator. "Right here." She then turned to Cobra who nodded an order to him. "Cobra! Smash!"

With the pair of unconscious prisoners daggling from both shoulders, the hulking giant named Cobra managed to balance both people across his body while punching through the thick concrete and creating a cracked web across the foundation. Angelica pulled the man back and then instructed Eel to finish the job.

Once again a spark of electricity formed from the grey man's fingertips, this time the voltage was much bigger and increased in density. Eel shot through the damaged wall; chunks of dirt, dust and stone flew everywhere until finally settling and allowing the group to see the long dimly lit tunnel appearing in front of them. Dr. Plunder signaled for her comrades to follow and the team trailed after her as they heard the warning sirens of the Pentagon under attack happening from above.

The group ignored the warning signs, heard violent eruptions occurring from somewhere inside the government building but kept sprinting forward until a large grated barrier blockaded the some of the outside light drifting through the openings of the barrier. Not one to allow a simple obstruction from preventing them from reaching their rendezvous point, Angelica violent kicked the grating with her security boots until it fell forward to reveal the team's jet hovering nearby as the vehicle's hatch was kept wide open. An older, auburn haired fortysomething woman in an expensive suit waved to them and beckoned them forward.

"Hurry!" The strange woman shouted in a German accent. "The fools are coming!"

None of Angelica's team hesitated. Cobra jumped in first carrying the unconscious prisoners on his shoulders, followed by Eel and then Black Mamba and Stacy X. Dr. Plunder was the last to get on as she cocked her head to see another explosion detonate on the side of the Pentagon building. Angrily, the German woman grabbed the blonde doctor's arm and dragged her inside the plane as it started to take off.

"Dummkopf!" The German female yelled at Angelica, her German dialect thick on her tongue. "You want to be captured? Do you want the Americans to ruin our plans?"

The blonde doctor frowned and sadly shook her head. More explosions were heard nearby as parts of the Pentagon building became emblazoned with fire and ash. Government agents and the military rushed to contain the blaze as more explosions detonated around the huge defense structure. As promised, the destruction allowed the secret jet to escape and zoom off into the clouds.

Not even the Pentagon's Air Force team could reach them.

* * *

_The Playground_

It had been one month since the takedown of John Garrett and his H.Y.D.R.A. operatives and the arrest of the traitor Grant Ward that the current members of S.H.I.E.L.D tried to reassemble and reorganize the team from their new base of operations, simply known as The Playground. This new facility monitored by the late Eric Koenig's twin brother Billy served as a temporary home for Agent Phil Coulson and his agents.

Jemma Simmons could not concentrate on the tissue samples collected from John Garrett's disintegrated corpse after Coulson obliterated the man with a Tesseract weapon. Her mind still floated to her partner, Leo Fitz, and his confessions of his feelings for her when they were trapped at the bottom of the ocean. Since their rescue and Fitz's recovery, the pair refused to discuss the matter any further and decided to sweep the issue under the rug. However, it made working together especially awkward.

"How's the upgraded that I made on the microscopes working out?" He asked her as she stared at the sample placed on her slide. "I was able to increase the magnification by sixty percent so you can get a better examination of the tissue sample."

"It's working out quite nicely," she managed to crack a smile. "The upgrade allows me view to the corrosion of the damage inflicted by the Tesseract gun. Luckily, even the Deathlok project couldn't regenerate cells. Garrett is going to stay dead."

Fitz grinned. "That's a relief. The last thing we need is another H.Y.D.R.A. zombie running around." Jemma managed to giggle at his remark. The Scotsman exhaled; he nervously muttered. "Jemma?"

The bio-chemist gulped. She knew exactly what he was going to say and it frightened her. "Yes, Fitz?"

"About what happened when we were submerged…" He started. "What I said…I meant…"

A knock on the glass door of the lab interrupted his speech. Skye peeked her head in at the wrong moment and caught the pair off guard. "I'm sorry, guys." The exotic dark haired hacker apologized. She addressed the engineer. "Fitz, Coulson wants to see you in his office. Something about a physics formula?"

Rolling his eyes, the Scotsman shrugged. His face gestured to his lab partner. "We'll talk more about this later, Jemma."

"Of course," the young woman nodded. Jemma watched as Fitz marched out of the lab and down the hall into Coulson's office. Once she was alone, she exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Am I missing something here?" Skye asked in her usual probing way. "Did you two finally talk about what happened?"

Jemma could not look her in her eye. Turning her back away from the hacker, she returned to her microscope. Skye already knew the answer to her question. After taking down John Garrett and his men, her colleague confided in her about the situation between her and Fitz. Skye was not surprised by the engineer's feelings. She always knew he had a thing for Jemma. She was that perceptive.

"You haven't talked about it." The dark haired clucked and folded her arms.

"It's complicated."

"Complicated? What's the problem? He confessed his love for you and you either tell him that you feel the same or let him down gently. By the way, how do you feel?"

The bio-chemist shyly shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." Her brown eyes averted Skye's gaze. "I mean I'm fond of him but I'm not sure if I feel the same way that he does about me. I'm so confused."

"Well un-confuse yourself." The hacker advised. "Look inside, examine your feelings. It's better to know where you both stand than to string him along and keep him hanging. It's not fair to you both."

"The same way that you felt about Ward?" Jemma hit below the belt. Realizing her transgression, she tried to apologize. "I'm sorry, Skye. I didn't mean…"

Skye raised up her hand to stop her. Her voice sighed. "It's okay. I'll admit I have a lousy track record when it comes to guys. I mean I got involved with Miles who taught me how to hack and look how that turned out. Ward turned out be to be sociopath who we all trusted and, naturally, I fell for him too. Guess, I need to take myself out of the dating pool for a while and stick to what I know best. Computers."

Jemma still seemed skeptical. "You're telling me that all your feelings for Ward are completely out of your system? That you can completely cut off your feelings for him and move on?"

The hacker nodded. "Absolutely." She put on a brave poker face. She was lying. It still hurt that Ward betrayed her and her friends and the pain dropped to her stomach at the mere mention of his name. However, her loyalties remained with Coulson and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Grant Ward would eventually phase out of her mind and her heart.

Hopefully.

Back inside Agent Phil Coulson's office, Fitz entered the private room where Melinda May and Antoine Triplett stood next to a wall filled with scratches and symbols that their leader had made. Fitz took one look at the weird pictogram and grew fascinated by strange formula.

"You did this?" He questioned Coulson.

"Yes," said their team leader. "I was hoping for another dream about Tahiti but I got this instead."

Melina May stepped in. "We were hoping you could tell us what this means?"

Fitz pressed his fingers across the images on the walls. "You were correct in assuming it's some sort of formula. The symbols are similar to pictograph writing like hieroglyphics or prehistoric cave drawings but then it gets cryptic." He pointed to the series of lines and drawings. "If I remember correctly, these numerical patterns are similar to coordinates 51 degrees, 26 north, 116 degrees, 28 west which stands for a historical formation. The Burgess Shale!"

"The Burgess Shale?" Agent Triplett raised his eyebrows.

Coulson looked at Antoine. "You know it?"

"Yeah," nodded the African American man. "My grandpappy took my family up there when I was kid. He was really into all that paleontology stuff. The Burgess Shale is this place up in the Canadian Rockies where the many of the most impressive dinosaur fossils were found."

Agent May cocked an eyebrow. "Why would the formula give us those coordinates?"

"I don't know," said Fitz. "But there's more." He pointed to small section in the upper left where more symbols, lines and pictures formed a pattern. "I think this grouping right here means something." His eyes analyzed the pairings. "That's strange."

"What is it?" Coulson asked.

"It's a Darwin quote," said the engineer. "Survival of the fittest. Vala-Kuri."

Antoine shook his head in confusion. "Vala-Kuri? What is that?"

"No idea." Fitz remarked. "The rest of formula is incoherent. I can't make out the rest."

"Well, we at least have something to work with." Coulson noted. "If John Garrett and I are writing down strange symbols and formulas, then that has to mean something."

"But what?" Melinda wondered too.

"We'll just have to find out…"

Agent Coulson was cut off. The Playground's facility lights were going off like crazy as alarms and bells signaled for everyone to enter the main hallway. Billy Koenig came rushing out of his office and past Coulson's team as he raced toward the garage.

"Where's the fire?" The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader questioned the caretaker.

"There's somebody at the front door!" Billy announced.

The news hit fast and everyone darted to where the facility monitor was stationed at. Agents Coulson, May, Triplett, and Fitz met up with Koenig at the plane dock followed by Skye and Jemma who watched with curiosity as Billy's pulled up the camera's on the computer screens.

There, standing in front of the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, were a group of military men but it was not the army that surprised the team. It was person leading them.

Former Assistant Director, now Commander Maria Hill.


	2. Chapter 2

Billy Koenig spoke through the microphone that connected to the speakers outside.

"Password please."

Maria Hill's face shot a look of annoyance. It appeared on the large computer screen inside and projected in front of the other S.H.I.E.L.D. members.

"Are you serious?" She huffed in front of the speaker.

The Playground monitor indeed was. "Password please. As acting groundskeeper of this facility, I stick to the procedures implemented by Colonel Fury…"

Coulson gritted his teeth. "Billy! Let Maria Hill in! We can see that it's her!"

The facilitator disagreed and addressed the team leader. "How do we know she's not H.Y.D.R.A.?"

Having overheard the conversation, Maria finally had enough. She pulled an I-Pad from the satchel she had been carrying and pressed the screen in front of the camera. A SKYPE link to a bald African American man with an eye patch caught everyone's attention inside.

"OPEN THE DOOR MOTHERFU…"

Colonel Fury said a hundred expletives that bore not repeating to which Billy quickly tapped a few commands on the building's computer and allowed Maria Hill and her troops inside the secret lair. Agent Coulson and his team greeted the military group who was all business. The facilitator attempted to apologize to his superiors by being a gracious host.

"Welcome everyone! Can I get anyone any refreshments or a dietary soda perhaps?"

From the I-Pad screen, Fury frowned. "AIN'T NO ONE GOT TIME FOR THAT! NOW GO WATCH OVER THE BASE AND LET THE GROWN-UPS TALK!"

Billy bowed to the Colonel. "Of course, Colonel Fury. My apologies." He blushed and scurried off.

Coulson focused on the I-Pad screen in Maria Hill's hand and communicated directly with his superior. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Colonel?"

"We have an issue that only your team can handle, Coulson." Fury said through the com link. "Commander Hill will fill you on the details. Right now, I'm supposed to be playing dead. I'll make contact until them. Fury out!" The SKYPE connection ended into a black screen and returned to the desktop page. Maria shoved the device back into her bag.

"I'm sure your team has been watching the news?" She told the S.H.I.E.L.D leader.

"We try to," Coulson grinned. "But with the new season of the Bachelor coming on and the Big Bang Theory, we just haven't had the time."

Fitz turned to the hacker. "Big Bang Theory? I love that show! That Sheldon cracks me up every time…"

Maria shook her fists. "Somebody turn on a television around here! Please!"

Jemma nodded and pressed a couple buttons on the keyboard to allow a live news broadcast to appear on the large computer screens around them. The images of a burning Pentagon kept them glued to the monitors while a newscaster revealed the details of the attack to the viewing public.

"_What we're seeing is a live is a terrorist attack on the Pentagon that took place an hour ago. According to reports issued by the Department of Defense, a group of superpowered mercenaries broke into the building, detonated several bombs inside and assisted in the escape of two convicts within the confines of their highly classified maximum security prison. The prisoners, former agents of the now defunct S.H.I.E.L.D., were identified as Akela Amador and Grant Ward._

_Both are wanted for war crimes and traitorous activities after the revelation that the terrorist organization H.Y.D.R.A. had been infiltrating government positions of power for years in order for global domination. One such government sponsored agency was S.H.I.E.L.D. which was compromised and forced to disband due to the security breach._

_So far, we have learned that 66 employees of the Pentagon had been injured or killed and emergency crews are rushing to put out the flames. Representatives for the Pentagon have yet to make an official statement concerning the attack and the suspects involved are still at large. We will keep you posted as more details come in. Reporting live from Arlington County, this is…"_

Maria Hill shut off the television screen. Turning toward the other S.H.I.E.L.D. members, she gestured to Coulson. "This is what happened an hour ago. Two of your former members were broken out of the Citadel and now are missing. We need to find them and the people they now work for and recapture them. Hopefully ASAP. I got the president and the Secretary of Defense on my ass right now."

Agent Triplett offered this theory. "Wouldn't be easier to assume that it's H.Y.D.R.A.? I mean those guys are still out there. We just haven't caught them all yet."

"It would." The female government operative replied. "However, we took down several major players involved. We cut off the heads, so to speak, so they can't regenerate and if even they did, they're too disorganized to do anything. It'll take years and we have people watching out for any suspicious activities."

Coulson scratched his chin. "Why us? I mean S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't exactly around anymore to do anything this high profile. Why not use the armed forces?"

Maria released a sigh. "The U.S. government has too much on the plate already. We got conflicts in the Middle East to mobilize, North Korean missile threats, and Russia's invasion of the Czech Republic to negotiate. Otherworldly problems are the last thing we need to deal with. Plus, the Department of Defense refuses to do get involved with sort of thing. I need a specialized team that can go under the radar and handle the situation, a group who is covert enough to take care of the problem and who falls under the radar without the full knowledge of the American government."

The team leader smiled. "How do you know it's otherworldly related?"

"A security guard by the name of Larry Penhall survived the breakout." She informed them. "According to him, he said a group of humanoid creatures attacked him and murdered some of the security personnel."

Glancing at Skye, Coulson silently made a gesture. She immediately understood and ran into the lab to grab her laptop.

"On it!" She told the team. Placing the portable computer right next to the Playground's main hard drive, she plugged it in and allowed the facilities' monitors to showcase the scene that took place during the Pentagon attack. "I'm hacking into the government's security system. I should be able to get some footage from all angles of the security cameras. It'll take a few seconds but we can see what happened during the break-in."

Both Coulson's and Maria's teem watched as the hacker did her thing and pulled up the first few moments when the strange quartet landed on the penitentiary level and the elevator doors opened.

"Stop right there!" Coulson told Skye. She paused the video as the instant the intruders attacked the guards. He pointed to both the large hulking brute and his grey skinned partner. "Right there. There's something off about their skin tone!"

Jemma Simmons agreed. She walked up to the monitor to closely examine the images. "You're right, Coulson. Look at the platelets on their skin. They look almost non-human like scales and those glowing yellow eyes." She referred to the pair of females with slits in their pupils. "They appear to be…"

"Reptilian in nature." Fitz finished her sentence. He averted his eyes away from her. "I mean who looks to be that way from what I can make out."

Melinda noticed something as well. "Hold on. There's something else." She walked over to the screen and pointed to tiny weird lines and symbols that appeared on the upper right side of their navy jumpsuits. "These look familiar."

Even Antoine noted it. He turned to the team's engineer. "Didn't you say these marks of that weird formula meant the Burgess Shale?"

"Yes," said Fitz. "But I told you the rest is all cryptic. Something about evolution and something named the Vala-Kuri. That's all I got from the formula."

"The Vala-Kuri?" Maria cocked her head. She directed her attention to Coulson. "What is all this talk about a formula?"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader exhaled. "After Garrett's takedown, I discovered that he and I shared some strange symbiotic connection concerning a bizarre equation in our heads. Whatever the T.A.H.I.T.I. project did to us developed into some strange phenomenon that allowed us to visualize weird mathematical and scientific incoherent symbols and lines. None of which makes any sense."

"Show me." The government official demanded.

"You guys go on ahead," said Skye. "I'm going to try to get some info about reptile men." Her fingers tapped her laptop.

Coulson led Maria Hill and her army men as well as the other team members into his office. From the wall a series of etched drawings appeared that had yet to be determined. The former Assistant Director touched the images.

"You mentioned the Vala-Kuri," noted the team's leader to Maria. "Do you know what that means?"

"Our military recovered all the data that Garrett left behind," informed the woman. "Including this strange formula, so far, our scientists and scholars have determined some of the strange language to be alien in nature and all they could make out were the exact same thing. A war on evolution, a tribe known as the Vala-Kuri, the Burgess Shale location, and something else."

"Which is?"

"A connection to an ancient clan, roughly translated as Die Gesselschaft Serpens."

"Die Gesselschaft Serpens?" Agent Triplett scratched his head. "What does that mean?"

"Loosely translated from German and Latin," explained Maria. "The Serpent Society."

Melinda May lifted her eyebrows. "But that's a legend. The Serpent Society doesn't exist. It's an old wives' tale."

Coulson corrected her. "Secret societies have existed for years. Even in myths and legends, they've made an impact on history. Just because we don't see them, doesn't mean they don't exist. Skull and Crossbones, the Illuminati, the Men in Black, H.Y.D.R.A., S.H.I.E.L.D.! We're all been involved in our own secret societies. It's only what purpose and motives they serve that differ from all others."

Jemma questioned the obvious. "Then who are the Serpent Society?"

Fitz answered it. "Allegedly, a group of individuals who believe that reptiles evolved before homo sapiens. They believe they were descended from dinosaurs and that they are true inheritors of the Earth and lie in wait until the time is right for them to strike and take back the planet from humans. They have learned to conceal their bodies in human form but underneath shows their true reptilian shape."

All eyes focused on the engineer who turned completely red. They could not believe how much information he had on the subject. Fitz shrugged in defense.

"Oh what? Like Skye is the only one who believes in conspiracy theories? I'll admit I'm fascinated by it and I read about it as well! And for the record, I don't believe JFK was not shot by Lee Harvey Oswald!"

Everyone shook their heads as Skye dashed in and interrupted the meeting.

"Hey guys!" She said excitedly. "I caught a couple more things on the security footage!"

Her teammates and Hill's army marched back into the room where the hacker had gathered further intel on the break-in. On the camera, it showed members of the Serpent Society stunning both Akela Amador and Grant Ward and carrying their unconscious bodies out of their cells.

"I used the new electronic software that Fitz put on my laptop to do an expedited facial recognition through every C.I.A., F.B.I. and Interpol file. In seconds we should be able to identify who these criminals are."

"Is this legal?" Maria asked Coulson.

"Nope." The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent answered bluntly. "By now, Maria, you should know that everything that we isn't legal."

The first two mugshots came up of the two females. Skye enhanced the image to showcase the pair. She began with the dark haired woman with the snake tattoos.

_CRIMINAL FILE #1: Tanya Xander-Sealy. Age: 28. AKA: Black Mamba (Stage Name). Occupation: Exotic dancer and prostitute. Arrested for criminal misconduct, assault, and prostitution. Served a year in jail and was paroled after six months. Went missing along with younger sister, Stacy Xander-Sealy. Has yet to be found. Armed and dangerous._

_OTHER NOTES: Tanya is a registered Level 6 mutant controller. She has the ability to distort shadows and bend them to her will or turn them into tangible objects. Considered dangerous and deadly when approached, proceed with caution._

Next came the second woman.

_CRIMINAL FILE #2: Stacy Xander-Sealy. Age: 19. AKA: Stacy X (Stage Name). Occupation: Exotic dancer and prostitute. Arrested for drug possession and prostitution. Served six months in jail but was paroled after three. Went missing along with older sister, Tanya Xander-Sealy. Has yet to be found._

_OTHER NOTES: Stacy is a low Level 3 mutant controller. She has the ability to emit a pheromone mist from her neck to hypnotize her victims. Not considered dangerous and is weak and feeble in personality compared to her older sister. However the pair together could be proven deadly. Proceed with the caution concerning the pair._

"Okay, we got two so far." Skye told the team. "Now let's check out the other two." She focused on Cobra and Eel and brought up their files.

_CRIMINAL FILE #3: Klaus Voorhees. Age: 36. AKA: Cobra. Occupation: Mercenary, hitman, and killer. Wanted for multiple terrorist crimes as well as several murders internationally. Has never been caught._

_OTHER NOTES: Due to experiments by the now defunct Voelker Pharmaceuticals, Klaus was given enhanced strength, speed, and agility through a radical form of the Super Soldier serum. In addition he has prehensile tongue that can be used to ensnare or strangle his victims. Considered a Level 8 threat and should be handled with caution._

_CRIMINAL FILE #4: Leopold Stryke. Age 32. AKA: Eel. Occupation: Thief, mercenary, and assassin. Wanted for the murders of several political officials and crimes of espionage. Has never been caught._

_OTHER NOTES: Due to experiments by the now defunct Voelker Pharmaceuticals, Leopold was given enhanced speed, agility, and can produce electrical voltage through his hands caused through exposure of a radical form of the Super Soldier serum. Considered a Level 7 threat and should be handled with caution._

Antoine Triplett perused the files and folded her arms. "You're telling us that these super powered freaks are what we're up against?"

"Even worse," commented Coulson. "They were given names which makes them even more dangerous." He addressed Skye. "There's something else that I've noticed. There's a connection involved with these four."

Maria reviewed the files and agreed. "Voelker Pharmaceuticals Corporation."

"What does a corporation have to do with anything?" Skye asked the government director.

Melinda May answered her question. "Five years ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. led a team to South America to stop a mad bio-chemist, Dr. Seth Voelker, from creating and mass producing a contaminated form of the Super Soldier formula."

"The same one the U. S. used to create Captain America!" Jemma exclaimed with glee. None of her comrades shared her enthusiasm so she quickly stayed quiet.

"Except this one was not as pure," said Melinda. "Dr. Voelker had been kidnapping locals, mutating them, and leaving them for dead. I was part of the team to takedown the doctor and his men and to shut down the research facility."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. succeeded," said Maria Hill. "We successfully shut down the experiments for good but the doctor got away. We've been hunting him for years but he's always managed to elude us."

"Perhaps until now!" Coulson added. He signaled for Skye to do a facial recognition on the blonde security guard who knocked out Larry Penhall and ordered Cobra to carry off the unconscious bodies of Akela and Grant on the security footage. "Let's find out more about her!" He pointed.

Skye did and pulled up her file.

_CRIMINAL FILE #5: Dr. Angelica Plunder. Age: 28. Occupation: Leading Biologist and Assistant to Baroness Dr. Heike Kohler and hired mercenary. AKA: The Huntress. Wanted for being an accomplice in several terrorist and criminal activities. Has never been caught._

_OTHER NOTES: A deadly soldier. Angelica possesses no human abilities but is an expert martial artist and scientist. Participated in the Super Soldier experiments of Voelker Pharmeuticals. Still at large. Proceed with caution._

"I knew it!" Coulson cheered. "The Huntress at last!"

Skye curled her mouth in confusion. "Who's the Huntress?"

Fitz replied. "Think the Calvary but on the evil side."

Melinda May groaned and rolled her eyes. "Please don't call me that. I hate that word!"

The engineer sank back into his corner.

"Okay," added Skye. "We got an evil scientist, some reptile people, a mercenary named the Huntress and some escaped prisoners to look out for. What's the next on the agenda? H.Y.D.R.A.?"

"No," said Maria Hill who shook her head. "Dr. Voelker fits the profile of an arrogant narcissist so he would never get involve with H.Y.D.R.A. activities as far as we can tell. Plus, he despised their philosophies and believes them to be a blight on society. He would never associate with them but now that we have the information on who we're dealing with, I'm leaving it up to you Coulson to lead your team and ensure that you stop them." She focused on the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader. "Now to make this very clear. The government will not support your group's efforts; you're completely on your own."

"No problem there," smirked the man. "We've been on our own since the H.Y.D.R.A. took over S.H.I.E.L.D."

Maria nodded in support. "Good luck, Agent Coulson. You'll need it." She signaled for her men to follow and she exited the facility and headed back to their awaiting jets. The rest of the agents concentrated on a plan of action.

"Where to?" Melinda May asked their team leader since she was the one driving the bus.

"The Canadian Rockies." Coulson grinned. "I heard the Burgess Shale is nice this time of year."

* * *

_Bavaria, Germany_

The castle walls of the Dasha Palace overlooked the Bavarian town of Saint Gustave atop the high mountains of Bachswitvz and lay concealed by a row of high peaks and snowy ice caps. Built a thousand years ago, Baroness Heike and her family have owned the vast estate and claimed the title while surviving several world wars and a couple changes in government.

Underneath the palace walls, a secret lab had been constructed to which the Baroness and her co-associates performed their illegal experiments away from prying eyes.

Akela Amador finally woke up. The last thing she remembered was some scaly thing shooting an electrical current at her inside her cell which caused her to be knocked out. She looked around the room. A series of machines and bizarre machinery surrounded her as various strangers walked past her and began conversing around her. Her dark eyes scanned the setting. It was a huge space; the size of an airplane hangar, concrete walls of marble and stone covered the ceiling, floors, and room while the buzzing of machines captured her attention. She blinked and then suddenly realized that her left eye was no longer covered by a patch and that she had full control over her iris. Taking a moment to appreciate the fact that she had both eyes fully functional, she panicked for a bit when a computer screen appeared on her left eyeball. She read the words in her head.

_MAIN MENU. MONITOR SCREEN OPERATIONAL. READY FOR INFORMATION DOWNLOAD._

"Good. The visual data is fully functional."

Forcing her head to face the voice, she noticed an auburn haired woman in a lab coat glancing down at her. She appeared to be a woman in forties, about average height and strong, carried European features that made her beautiful but it was her green eyes that made her ugly. The looked dead and evil inside.

"What…have…you done to me?" Akela asked still groggy from the anesthesia.

The evil woman smirked. Her German accent flowed through her sinister lips. "I'm making you my finest creation, Miss Amador. I'm sure you've heard of the Deathlok project?"

Of course the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had heard of it. The rumors of a Michael Peterson who was first corrupted by the Centipede project and finally got turned into a cyborg soldier ran rampant inside the Citadel. She kept her ears opened to this news and felt sorry for the single father who was forced to be become an assassin. Then it struck her. She was about to be part of the same experiment.

She gulped. "Is…that what you're…going to me?"

"Not quite," said the woman. "The idiots who developed the project never understood cybernetic technology. They never knew how to merge the human body and machine to become one so that they can work independently from themselves." She walked over to nearby screen to show Akela's physical body being X-rayed from the inside. Dozens of veins and nerve endings showed on the monitors but it was the strange moving objects around her bones of her limbs that worried her the most. "We've been able to control the components of the original Centipede project and create organic nanomites, electronic technological micro-organisms, that when bonded with human tissue and bone will enhance physical strength, agility, and speed. You'll also to be able to heal and regenerate wounds from most human weapons and be impervious to harm. You will be the perfect human specimen, a living cyborg, but instead of displaying the parts of the machine, the nanomites will appear as flesh, making you more human and perfect in every way."

"No!" Akela sobbed as she whimpered for the loss of her humanity. The scientist laughed.

"Do not weep, dear Akela." She told her. "Your humanity will not be a completely lost to the machinery we've created. We only developed enough nanomites to cover your legs, right arm, and left eye. The rest is all you! But be certain, Miss Amador, you will be the perfect woman, the ideal soldier for the Serpent Society!"

"Serpent Society…" the African American woman whispered. Her face became enraged. "WHO ARE YOU? ANSWER ME! WHO ARE YOU?" The scientist plunged a syringe into her arm to calm her down. Akela slowly went to sleep.

The German woman smirked. "Dr. Heike Kohler." She answered. "But you can call me the Baroness."

Screams erupted from the other side of the lab. The Baroness rushed over to see Grant Ward struggling with his restraints and writhing in pain.

"What is happening?" The Baroness asked Dr. Angelica Plunder who was overseeing the experiment.

The blonde woman shrugged as her face turned white. "I don't know. His body is rejecting the serum. Apparently the ionic molecules inside are not adapting. I have him a mild sedative to calm him down and it's putting him in shock! It's killing him!"

"No it isn't."

A voice came from within the shadows. A tall fifty year old man with gray hair and a beard, Dr. Seth Voelker walked out of the corner from where he had been observing the research. His square face bore a pointed witch nose and the wrinkles on his face only made him look wicked by the way his brown eyes showed no remorse for any of the patients. He wore a lab coat, tie and slacks and he marched toward the howling prisoner and grinned.

"It's working just fine." He said directly without missing a beat.

"Dr. Voelker!" The blonde biologist pleaded. "We have to administer another sedative so that it counteracts the serum! The patient can't take much more of this!"

"No!" Dr. Voelker stated. "This is part of the process! There can't be success without a little bit of pain!" He directed his attention to the reptile guards who stood by the entrance of the lab. "Evolution takes time and so will this procedure!"

Ward screamed again in anguish. His body contorted and he felt a surge of something raging through this body out through his head. He opened his brown eyes wide, experienced a release coming through his pupils. Without warning, his eyes turned red and a huge blast of energy struck the ceiling, destroying the foundation of the concrete and causing the debris of stone and dust to hit the ground. Then it suddenly stopped and the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent inhaled and exhaled heavily through his chest as the pain started to subside.

Dr. Seth Voelker clapped his hands as the Baroness smiled next to him. Dr. Plunder breathed in a sigh of relief.

"See, the experiment worked." He crossed over to Ward and lowered his face. "You'll be my greatest weapon, a living embodiment of ionic energy that will provide you superhuman strength, speed, and agility. You will be a superior man among the less evolved humans and serve the Serpent Society so you can help crush the rest of our Vala-Kuri enemies. You shall be my Wonder Man!" Lifting his face away he signaled to the two female scientists. "Prepare the jet. I expect our two weapons ready soon!"

"Where are we going?" Dr. Plunder asked their leader.

"To Canada," he said. "Die Gesselschaft Serpens has business to attend to there. I want to be arrive there before our enemies suspect a thing!"

The Baroness nodded. "Right away, Dr. Voelker!"

Grant Ward heard it all. He had keen ear for listening. John Garrett had taught him that. His body ached but he could feel his body slowly healing. It was like the molecules within dance around the repair each tissue and broken blood vessel inside. Something about this whole thing did not feel right but he was too weak to anything. Instead, he focused on something that helped channel through all the anger and pain to which he learned from John. He looked deep inside and saw it. Beautiful exotic eyes, dark brown hair, and an innocent beauty to match, it would be her who would get him through his difficult period.

"Skye…" he whispered.

His eyes closed and he fell fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Agent Melinda May inputted the coordinates of the plane and unbuckled her seatbelt to join the rest of her team inside the meeting room where Coulson presided over the gathering.

"I set the jet to autopilot," she told the group. "We should be touching down at the Canadian Yoho National Park in eight hours." She nodded to their leader. "Are you sure that's the location that Commander Hill gave us?"

Coulson glanced at his right hand and agreed. "She submitted the Intel from her researchers and this is what they came up with."

Antoine shrugged. "But the Burgess Shale quarry covers a wide area. The fossilized remains found were uncovered in various locations. How can they be so sure that our destination is within the Yoho National Park?"

"Did you say that your grandfather took your family up there when you were young?"

The African American man nodded. "Yeah but we camped out at the Kootenay area. Visitors were able to see some of the excavation taking place. Then there's Jasper and Banff. We're talking thousands and thousands of miles within the Canadian Rockies. How do we know we've got the right one?"

"I think it has something to do with the type of fossils found." He turned to Skye who was on her laptop. "Bring up the photographs that Hill sent to us."

"Sure," said Skye. She stroked a few keys and allowed the photos to appear on various monitor screens around the room. "I've downloaded the pictures. This is what Maria Hill had her researchers submit to us!"

Scanning the various enlarged photographs, each member examined the fossilized remains to see if any the details would provide them some clues. Jemma and Fitz, especially, were very interested in the data their government had uncovered.

"Fascinating!" Jemma squealed. "The phyla seen on these possible definitely suggest the early Cambrian period. These prehistoric organisms demonstrate some arthropod-like traits similar to our current arachnids and insects."

"Good point, Jemma." Fitz smiled at his partner. "Don't forget that the paleontologists also suggest that early prehistoric animals also have a connection to hydrogen based elements."

The pretty bio-chemist giggled. "Of course, Fitz. I know all about how multiple celled organisms originated from that evolution theory as water based living things. Hence these marine-embedded animals are what started the Burgess-Shale research." She looked at Fitz and admired the way he liked to emphasize his points. He always liked to repeat himself. It was one of the things that made him charming. Catching herself staring at her lab partner, she started to blush. Skye sensed this and brought all the attention back to her.

"All right, what are we looking for?"

"Go through each photograph and check for any anomaly, something different than the others." Coulson instructed. "Maria said that there something off about the Burgess Shale connection."

Each of the agents went through the series of pictures. To them, they looked all the same, a soft shell, flat animal with tiny, jointed legs that had been fossilized in rock for millions of years. There was nothing unique about any of them, except for one.

Agent May walked over to one screen that looked like a large snail shell and noticed something bizarre etched around the body. She called to her teammates. "I think I found something!" Everyone rushed over as she pointed to the two things in the photograph. "Take a look at this!"

Coulson squinted. The objects in the photograph were too tiny to determine. He addressed Skye. "Enhance the photo so we can get a better look."

The hacker did and enlarged the picture to reveal the shell containing a series of strange lines and symbols at the center, a carving of what appeared to be a lion at the top and what looked like a snake underneath. The agents became excited.

"What is that?" Antoine asked.

Fitz added his input. "We know the symbols there stand for the Vala-Kuri but the lion and snake; I'm not sure what those signs mean."

"There's more." Skye remarked. "I pulled up the reports from the excavation site and it was recently uncovered by the paleontologists six months ago inside the caves of the Yoho National Park. The scientist who uncovered it is named Dr. Danny Barnes. Because of the sensitivity of the rock formation surrounding the fossil, they are looking for a way to excavate the object without damaging it inside the cave. Currently, he is working with the park rangers to assist with the project."

"Then if that fossil means something, Dr. Voelker must want it." Coulson concluded. "We'll have to go undercover and see about getting to that object before he does." He administered the group's tasks. "Fitz and Simmons, you'll handle the tactical strategy from the plane. Agent May will conceal the jet in a safe location so you can communicate to us when trouble arrives."

"We can run a thermal scan to view any suspicious activity." Jemma advised. "If these reptile men show up, the heartbeat activity and their body temperature will fluctuate and we can detect their presence."

Fitz jumped. "I can send in protective drones in case they show up. We have no idea what we're up against."

"That's what worries me." Coulson commented. "Voelker's men are now some mutated monsters so even with Agent Triplett's and Agent May's fighting skills; they'll be outnumbered by their superpowered enemies."

Suddenly Fitz's face lit up. "Not quite!" He glanced at Jemma who too eagerly clapped her hands. "We got inspired by Agent Romanov's Avenger's suit so we decided to try something on our own." He marched over to the corner of the plane. "Jemma and I have been working on a special project for a year now and we've been waiting to unveil it."

"Oh Fitz!" The English bio-chemist exclaimed. "Do you think it's ready?"

The engineer smiled and winked at her. "It's ready!"

He pressed a button on the pin pad to reveal a secret compartment and let the door slide to reveal a pair of jumpsuits, one for a male and one for a female. The male suit was black and red, made from a combination of leather and thick rubber. Armored ridges covered the chest, arms, hands, shoulders, legs, and feet. Heavy gloves and combat boots accompanied the outfit and contained various hidden pockets to conceal weapons, and armaments while a heavy duty military belt around the waist contained more knives, daggers, and explosives. The female suit was very similar but white and with a dark gray stripe down both sides leaving the center completely blank. Compared to the rubber exterior of the male armor, the two scientists used leather and spandex to make the fabric more stretchable and breathable to wear but it still contained various hidden pockets to hide weapons and blades should the user need them in battle.

"Each armored suit is woven with thick strands of a Kevlar, silicate-oriented fiber." Jemma smiled. "That means it's comfortable to wear and will be bulletproof and can even withstand other harsh elements like fire, water, and ice. Plus, it reacts fully to body temperature and adjusts accordingly to climate control."

"Not only that," said Fitz in his charming brogue. "It just looks cool! These bodysuits will help you guys against the reptile goons if ever you need to fight them!"

Antoine touched the male suit and smiled. "I'd wear it. It makes feel like a real superhero."

Melinda May frowned and disagreed with her coworker. "I wouldn't."

Offended, Fitz scowled. "But why?"

"It's too form fitting." May explained. "I don't feel comfortable showing off my body like that."

The Scotsman sprinted to the suits and pulled two objects from them. "But they come with cool protective gear!" He argued. He showed them the two accessories. One was the black and red helmet belonging to the male suit while the female was overly large white goggles with yellow lenses. "See!"

The Asian S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stuck to her convictions. She folded her arms. "I'll stick to my regular uniform. Thanks." Fitz let the objects fall to his side and looked defeated.

"Then it's settled." Coulson stated. "Triplett and May will go covert and guard the perimeter." He signaled to Skye. "You and I are going in as park rangers."

Skye sighed. "I guess that makes up for my failing geography in high school."

"You'll live." Coulson smirked. "Now everyone has their assignments. Let's roll out and be on lookout for Voelker and his men."

They all agreed. May returned to the cockpit of the planet and piloted the bus to the Canadian Rockies.

* * *

_Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean_

Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Akela Amador, sat across from her co-prisoner, Grant Ward, and observed their captors chatting among themselves inside the huge plane that was flying them to some strange location. Dressed in military fatigues, the African American woman wore her black hair in a bun as she pulled her sleeve up to see the flesh of her arm looking and feeling like real human skin.

"How does it feel?"

"Beg your pardon?" She asked Grant Ward who was wearing a black jumpsuit that was specially designed to suppress the uncontrollable ionic energy raging inside his body.

"I'm asking, how does it feel?" The traitor questioned her with curiosity. "You know, to have, all these machines and circuits inside you?"

Akela clucked. "Not any different than having an explosive eyeball put inside your left eye." She referenced Centipede's first attempt to make her an unwilling operative for them by implanting a detonator in her iris. Ward remembered and stayed quiet as she smiled at the dark haired man. "How about you? What's it like have ionic energy coursing through your body?"

"Not so great." Ward said bluntly. "Yeah, I feel stronger and faster but all these molecules within me seem to want to rip apart my body at any second. I'm trying to hold it together even though the serum they keep administering helps me keep the ions in control."

The African American woman snorted. "Look at us. We use to be working for a cause to protect the world from all sorts of evil threats and now we're the evil that is causing them. I find this to be poetic justice."

"Yeah," the man shrugged. "Except you killed because you were forced to." Then he sighed. "I did these things out of my own free will. Where's the justice in that?"

Saddened, Akela placed her hand on his. "It's never too late, Grant Ward. People change."

"I don't believe that." He said unmoving. "I'm the bad guy, remember?" He pulled his hand away from hers. "Bad guys don't redeem themselves."

Akela smiled. "You'd be surprised." She shifted her gaze toward the group talking about them in the corner of the plane. "I wonder what that's all about." Within seconds, Dr. Angelica Plunder and the Baroness, Dr. Heike Kohler, walked over to the duo as a quiet Dr. Seth Voelker sat back and observed. The African American woman put on a serious face. "Where are we landing?"

"The Canadian Rockies." Dr. Plunder answered. "Yoho National Park, to be exact."

Ward took in both women's appearances. Dr. Heike Kohler, better known as the German auburn haired scientist The Baroness, wore a designer pink and purple suit and matching pumps which gave off the impression of a hard edged wealthy socialite with an evil streak. He found her narcissism quite obnoxious. Her blonde biologist assistant that transformed him into some unstable weapon actually looked quite stunning in the black latex and vinyl zip-up uniform that she wore with a pair of stiletto heels. Angelica Plunder had taken off the nerdy glasses, wore make-up that accentuated her blue eyes and pulled her golden yellow hair into a one big braid. She definitely had an alluring appeal in her _come hither-I'm-a-sexy-evil-villainess _ensemble but the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent knew better than to trust her.

"What's going on there?" He asked.

At this point Dr. Seth Voelker spoke up as straightened his black tie on his gray suit. "It's a retrieval mission. The Serpent Society needs to acquire a special artifact known as the Ebrok Seal from the Burgess Shale excavation site."

"What's the Ebrok seal?" Akela questioned their bearded captor.

"It's a mystical object that once belonged to our kind," explained Dr. Voelker. "It was stolen and hidden away by our other Vala-Kuri rivals. The time has come to ensure that the seal be returned to its rightful people. The Reptoids!"

Leaning in close, Baroness Heike seductively sat on Ward's lap and slipped her arm around his broad shoulders. Most men would have found the forty-something German woman beautiful but the dark haired man felt nothing. She was not his type.

"You and Agent Amador are going to be our secret weapons to help us get the seal." Heike purred. "With a cyborg and an ionic Wonder Man on our side, we can easily retrieve the seal without complications."

"And what if we refused?" Akela scowled at the auburn haired German woman.

Heike's face curled into a smirk. "Dr. Plunder and I installed a failsafe inside your brains. Should you decide to not cooperate, those little detonators will explode with a push of a button from either of us." She got up off of Ward. "I really suggest you two think about your actions before you decide to oppose our request."

As usual, Grant Ward knew when he was licked. His face glanced at Akela Amador who too appeared worried and the two agreed to surrender. Releasing a sigh, he looked at Dr. Voelker. "What's the plan?"

Dr. Angelica Plunder revealed their strategy. "We've hacked into Commander Maria Hill's personal e-mail files and she's been communicating to a secret team of individuals led by someone you know. An Agent Coulson?"

Ward's eyes widened. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is involved with this? I thought the Defense Department forced all groups to disband?"

"Not all apparently," Dr. Voelker clucked. "Remember it was Coulson's group that brought you and John Garrett down." His bearded face grinned. "I'm sure you'd have a personal stake in this mission."

Akela decided to offer her opinion. "I know Agent Coulson. His team might be small but they're resourceful. They're probably on their way to excavation site as we speak."

"I'm counting on it." Voelker laughed. "However, they underestimate the skills of my men." He gestured to the two former operatives. "Grant Ward will accompany me and the Baroness to retrieve the seal. My Wonder Man can be my muscle against our enemies. Akela and Dr. Plunder will secure the perimeter. Exterminate any threat that gets in our way!"

"Affirmative." The blonde biologist agreed. "Should I also send Black Mambo, Stacy X, Eel, and Cobra on this mission for back-up?"

Dr. Volker nodded. "Absolutely. I don't want anyone interfering with our plans for retrieving the Ebrok Seal."

"Then it's settled!" Baroness Heike clapped her hands. "We get the seal and kill the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents! I love the smell of death in the morning! It's such an aphrodisiac!"

Akela rolled her eyes. She looked at the bearded the man. "How do you know we can defeat these S.H.I.E.L.D. agents? Grant Ward and I have tried and look where it got us."

"Because, my dear Miss Amador." Dr. Voelker's mouth curled in one huge smile. A small fork-like tongue slipped through his lips and retracted back before his eyes glowed a strange yellowish color with a thin slit in the middle of both pupils. "Evolution has proven it. Only the strongest will survive!"

* * *

_Yoho National Park_

Paleontologist Dr. Danny Barnes adjusted his eyes. The sunlight was bright this morning so it a made it difficult seeing an image of vehicle driving up to the excavation site especially hard. Placing his hand at the level of his eyes, he saw green colored jeep pulling up near the edge of the pit where several of his employees were busily mining for a few small dinosaur bones.

The jeep finally shut off and Danny noticed a male and female get out. Dressed in ranger uniforms, the paleontologist left his post to greet the pair down near the mining area.

"_Communicators are working."_

"I can hear you, Fitz, loud and clear." Coulson mumbled through his earpiece. "May and Triplett? You copy?"

"_Copy, Coulson." _ The African American man replied through their hidden location. _"By the way, Fitz. The armored suit fits amazingly!"_

"_I'm glad!" _Jemma got on the communicator. _"Agent May, I really insist you try on the female suit we built you!"_

"_Forget it, you two!" _May groaned. _"You're not getting me into that thing!"_

Skye giggled through the device. "Oh come on, May! I think the gray and white goes great with your eyes!"

"_Shut it, Skye!" _The Asian woman spat.

Coulson decided to end the argument. "Enough everyone with the playground teasing! We've got work to do! Is everyone in position?"

"_Agent May and Triplett are in place near the top of the cave." _Fitz announced. _"You and Skye will convince Dr. Barnes to take you inside to show you the fossil and I'll send in drones to follow."_

"_I'm getting a thermal reading." _ Jemma added. _"So far, no other detection other than us and the workers at the excavation site."_

"Good thing too." Skye remarked because Dr. Barnes is heading our way. Agent Coulson and the hacker played it cool as a tall sandy haired man in his late thirties came marching toward them. Dressed in safari clothing and looking like he scaled the wilds of Africa, Danny Barnes extended his hand to the pair and introduced himself.

"Hello there." He said. "I'm Dr. Daniel Barnes for the Yoho National Park's Burgess Shale Museum Department. Can I help you?"

"Yes." Coulson performed his bit. "I'm Dr. Jackson Meyers and this is my assistant, Penny Schuler. We're part of Canada's Environmental Security and Wildlife Preservation Department. Our division was informed that you have a rather difficult task of removing a fossilized object from the cave?"

Dr. Barnes flinched. "I'm surprised that the department had been notified! I was going to try to head to the museum's council to see if they find a way of extracting it without destroying the cave."

"No need." Skye jumped in. "We're here to ensure that we can safely remove it without demolishing the integrity of the mountain. Our department is really big on that sort of thing." She leaned in to emphasize her point. "Really, really big!"

"_Oh you're just making stuff up!" _ Fitz clucked his tongue through her communicator.

"Quiet!" She muttered.

Dr. Barnes overheard her and commented on it. "I'm sorry, Miss Schuler. Did you say something?"

Nervously, Skye shook her head. "Nothing! Oh don't mind me! I'm just admiring all the dinosaur bones around us!" She scanned the excavation site. "You know, like enjoying Jurassic Park and all those cool raptors…"

"_Real smooth, Skye."_

Coulson rolled his eyes and stepped in. "Dr. Barnes, can you please show us the fossil in question?"

"Sure," smiled the paleontologist.

He led the pair inside the cave and down a steep path where a series of battery operated lights illuminated their way. Skye quickly looked over her shoulder to see Fitz's tiny drones following them and breathed a sigh of relief to know that her friends were looking out for their safety. The pair finally stopped to large wall blocking their way and Dr. Barnes turned on a spotlight to showcase the fossil in question that looked like shell with bizarre lines and symbols with a lion's head at the top and snake at the bottom.

"There it is!" The paleontologist declared. "Our baby! The unexplained phylum!"

Coulson's fingers traced the etching. The marks felt surreal. He turned to the scientist. "Any idea what these weird symbols mean?"

"Not a clue." Dr. Barnes shrugged. "That's why we need to get it removed so we can study it. It could mean a breakthrough in prehistoric study!"

"Well then!" Skye smiled. "Let's get this sucker out of its cage!" She reached into the park ranger uniform and pulled out a small tiny pen!" She aimed it at the wall. Dr. Barnes noticed the device and raised his eyebrows.

"What is that thing? He pointed to the object in her hand.

"Oh just something the Canadian department supplied us." She lied. "We've gone high tech now from cellphones to I-Pads!" Ignoring her stares, she pressed the button, released a thin laser, and carved through the hard stone.

"_Careful, Skye." _ Fitz advised. _"The laser is very delicate. You don't want to burn yourself."_

The hacker groaned. "I think I know how to use laser!" She yelled through her communicator.

Dr. Barnes scratched his head. "Who are you talking to?"

"Nobody!" Skye replied. "Just the voices in my head. Working for the Canadian Parks Department can do that to you!"

Within seconds, a perfect circle had been made. Skye shut off the laser which allowed Coulson an opportunity to pull out the fossil with his fingers. The heavy rock fell into his hands.

The paleontologist grew excited. "Finally! We got the artifact! Now we can study it!"

Suddenly Jemma Simmons voice panicked into the group's communicators. _"Everyone, we have a problem! I'm getting several thermal readings around the area! I think Voelker's men are…"_

"I'll be taking that!"

Agent Coulson, Skye, and even Dr. Barnes turned around to see a gray bearded man standing in front of them. Dr. Seth Voelker eyed the artifact in the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader's hands with interest as his cohorts the Baroness, Cobra, and an emotionless Grant Ward stood behind him. Coulson armed himself with his gun as a nervous Skye whipped out her Night-Night gun. It might be as deadly as her leader's pistol but it could knock out an opponent with a simple whiff of the dendrotoxin contained in the pellets.

Lifting his hand, Dr. Voelker gestured to the pistol wielding Coulson. "Would you be so kind to give me the seal?"

Coulson frowned. "You have to pry it off my cold, dead hands."

That was not exactly the right words to say as Serpent Society's main baddie shot him a wicked smile. "That can be arranged."

Confused and bewildered, Dr. Barnes raised his hands and scanned all the strangers in the room. "Who are you people and what do you want?"

"Just doing our part to help scientific study," taunted the Baroness. She gestured to Coulson. "Now give us the seal!"

Steadying his gun, the agent shook his head. "No."

Jemma's voice came on their communicators. _"Sir, we have a problem. I'm getting a dozen thermal heat signatures around the area. The anomalies aren't just from the Dr. Voelker's reptile soldiers but around the perimeter as well." _She paused for a moment. _"Oh my God!"_

Coulson kept his gun targeted on the Serpent Society but managed to press the communicator in his ear. "Simmons, what is it?"

"_Fitz sent camera drones out to the excavation site! Voelker's troops are there and they look like cold-blooded reptiles with guns but there's more…"_

Her voice was interrupted by Fitz. _"The workers who are mining inside the pit, they're not human! They're attacking the reptile men!"_

Skye overheard this and her mouth dropped. "What do you mean they're not human?'

"_They're sprouting small bits of fur and whiskers!" _ Jemma gasped. _"And they have claws like a cat! They're fighting Voelker's soldiers outside of the cave!"_

Small footsteps captured Skye's attention, she directed her Night-Night gun to the person moving. Grant Ward. He moved slowly toward her as he raised his hands to show he was unarmed. Even she resented his betrayal of his teammates to H.Y.D.R.A, she experienced the same weird tumble of butterflies inside her belly. However, she was going to stay strong and not let her guard down around him.

"Don't move!" She threatened him. "I'm not afraid to use this!"

"Skye, it's over." Ward told her calmly. "Just give Voelker what he wants and hopefully he'll let you and the rest of your team live."

"Like hell, traitor!" She spat. "I don't trust you any more than I do the Serpent Society!" She shook her pistol. "Now stay where you are, Ward, or I'll shoot!"

Dr. Voelker grew impatient. "Take her out now, Wonder Man!"

Ward moved forward. Skye steadied her pistol, wrapped her finger around the trigger and prepared to fire but the sound of a snap echoed inside the cave as the hacker felt a sting on her shoulder. She glanced down to see a tiny dart poking from her arm and her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. The Night-Night gun fell from her hands. Coulson screeched as he looked for the culprit who shot his partner.

"Skye!"

A heavy blow struck the back of his head. His legs buckled and he fell to the ground. Then someone tall and large darted in front of him and grabbed both the fossilized artifact and his gun. With his head still throbbing and his senses in a daze, he saw the face of Dr. Danny Barnes grinning down at him with the seal clutched in between his hands. Coulson was about to question him but surprise overtook him as he saw the paleontologist's eyes glowing greenish yellow and bearing thin oval shaped lines over his pupils. Barnes snickered as his face began to sprout whiskers and his nails turned to claws. Dr. Voelker noticed it too and snarled.

"YOU!"

The mutated feline once known as Dr. Barnes laughed. He shook the seal within his fur covered fingers. "Yes! Me and us!" The long fingernail of his claw pointed to the Baroness.

Ward attempted to make sense of the scientist's reference but Dr. Kohler cackled when she pressed a dial on a device hidden inside her purple and pink suit and watched as the traitorous agent toppled to his knees. His head became plagued by pain and he covered his eyes as they began to glow a bright red. The ionic molecules rumbled inside his body and the most intense agony overcame him. He howled in excruciating torment. He wanted to die.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Dr. Voelker hissed at the German Baroness.

She whipped out a gun from inside her suit jacket and targeted both the Serpent Society leader and his other bodyguard, Cobra. Then slowly, she meandered to Dr. Barnes's side. "Just making sure one of your experiments stays put!" Her face exhibited a sinister pleasure in seeing Grant Ward suffer. "I'm rewarding loyalty to my followers." The auburn haired woman cackled. "The Felis will serve H.Y.D.R.A. well as long as we give their anointed Balkatar what he wants." She took the heavy seal from Barnes and showed it to Voelker. "This baby is what you Vala-Kuri have been fighting for centuries and now I get to choose which side gets the opportunity to possess it in return for H.Y.D.R.A.'s loyalty."

Still disoriented, Coulson tried to listen to the German's woman's explanation. None of what she was saying made any sense but he comprehend that Dr. Heike Kohler was a traitor to the Serpent Society as an agent of H.Y.D.R.A. He wondered how much Dr. Voelker knew about his lead scientist.

The Baroness sneered at the gray bearded man. "You, Dr. Voelker, consider H.Y.D.R.A. a blight upon society, a pestilence on a world that should be controlled by the strongest beings. Yet, you and your Reptoid brothers and sisters have been bane of our organization's existence for a thousand years. Now no more! The Felis gave accepted our offer to join us in return for something they want in return, the first being the Ebrok seal and the second…" Her eyes cast down to a sleeping Skye that she had shot with a tranquilizer dart.

Coulson instantly knew what she was referring to and whispered in protest. "No!" He tried to get up but Dr. Barne's heavy blow still held him in a daze.

"I'm returning this S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to her long lost father." Heike went on. "I'm sure the Felis's Balkatar would appreciate the fact that his daughter had finally been found. It's about time that the ritual be finally completed and this little pawn will make the perfect offering for the ultimate sacrifice!" She turned her head to a trio of figures hiding in the shadows of the cavern. "Don't you agree, Dr. Tumulo?"

"Absolutely." The strange dark curly haired woman's voice sounded seductive as her two feline goons, bearing glowing green eyes, fur, and claws, escorted her toward the group. She stared at an unconscious Skye. "We've waiting a long time for her!"

Dr. Voelkner sneered at the exotic woman in the silk floral dress. "Who the hell are you?"

"My full name is Dr. Joanne Tumulo and I'm part of the Felis, the Cat People. But I prefer to be called by my true name. Raina."


	4. Chapter 4

"_Agent Coulson, do you copy?"_

From their plane's secret rendezvous point, Jemma tried again to contact the group's leader but all she was receiving from his communicator was static. She turned to her partner Fitz who equally appeared concerned.

"He's not answering." She said.

"I'm contacting May and Triplett." The Scotsman decided for their optional two. He switched lines and got the next duo on their devices. "_Second unit. Do you copy?"_

"Here Fitz." Antoine answered. "Agent May and I are scouting the perimeter outside of the cave."

"_Coulson isn't answering his line. We're concerned."_

"We'll check it out." The African American operative advised. "Over and out."

His partner Agent Melinda May perused the top of the cavern that overlooked the excavation site to see the other workers mining for fossils but nothing out of the ordinary. Her eyes then drifted to Antoine who squeaked a little in his new armored black and red suit.

"Aren't you a little uncomfortable in that thing?" She frowned.

"Nah." Triplett smiled. "You get use to it after a while. You know, you could've worn the other one. It might give you some added protection."

May rolled her eyes. "Like I said before, I'm fine with what I have on!" She grabbed her leather vest with both hands and adjusted it over her old S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. The Asian woman preferred to wear her work clothes with pride. "Besides, I prefer not showing off my ass in that skintight costume that Fitz and Simmons made."

"_It's not skintight! It's form fitting!"_

Fitz's voice came on the communicator and sounded very offended.

"Like I said, Fitz." May emphasized. "I'm not getting into that thing!"

Antoine sighed. "It's not that bad! In fact…"

His voice was cut off when Melinda darted toward him and shoved her full weight into his chest. Before the African American agent could question her reasons, the Asian agent let out a yelp as a spark of lightning grazed her right shoulder. Melinda dove for the ground as her shoulder throbbed a little while her partner looked up to see a gray skinned man with scaly skin and wearing a navy jumpsuit shot sparks of electricity toward them. Jemma's voice then got on their communicators.

"_Thermal scans are going mad! There's more than one enemy within the vicinity!"_

"No kidding." The Calvary muttered. A wave of dust got caught in her hair.

Agent May glanced toward the edge of the cliff and saw reptile soldiers shooting at the workers below inside the fossil pit. To her shock, she noticed the workers fighting back but instead of weapons of their own, they started changing into feral monsters complete with their set of natural armaments, teeth and claws. Her eyes widened even more as the entire area close to the cave turned into chaos as dozens of reptoid soldiers began battling the newly transformed cat-people, igniting into an all-out brawl.

Back to the edge of the cliff, an angry Antoine Triplett in his new armored suit took on the Serpent Society's Eel as they fought it out on top of the cavern. The gray skinned Eel threw hundreds of sparks at Triplett who managed to dodge most of them as his Kevlar shielded him from the electrical current being tossed his way. The African American operative finally got close enough to his reptile foe as the two men faced off into hand to hand combat.

Eel threw the first punch but the experienced mercenary was no match for the trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's trained skills of defensive maneuvers. Antoine blocked the assault with his arm and met the attack with a move of his own. He tossed a right hook, then a left, and finally ended with a successful uppercut to the gray skinned man's jaw and knocked his opponent back.

However, this only fueled Eel's anger even more. He increased the voltage of his electrical powers and discharged a tremendous amount of energy at Triplett. Even with the Kevlar suit on, the armored covering could not withstand the full force of the reptile man's power and sent Antoine flying toward the other side of the cavern mountain. The knockback surprised him as he fell to the ground disoriented. He tried to get up but Eel was quicker and he proved it by sparking both hands with electrical current as he rushed at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. This time Eel intended to permanently annihilate his counterpart.

Down below, the war between reptoids and cat-people grew more violent. Bullets flew everywhere as did blood and body parts as scales and fur scattered across the excavation site. Voelker's soldiers used machine guns and rifles to take down their feline enemies while the cat-people used their claws and teeth to tear down the scaly humanoids. Voelker's two female operatives, Black Mamba and Stacy X, used their mutant abilities to stall some of their enemies but it did very little in controlling them as they tore through their comrades. Akela Amador watched in horror as the warzone became more uncontrollable and tried to fend off an attack by two feline humanoids that attacked her from both sides. Luckily, the trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent knew how to handle the pair of combatants and knocked them out with her bionic right arm. The African American woman took a moment to rest but a sudden caught her off guard. Then a screen popped up in her left eye.

_FAILSAFE ACTIVATED._

A sharp pain filled her head. Her hands clutched her temple as panicked overtook her. The Baroness had activated hers and Grant Ward's detonation devices in their brains. Voelker's retrieval mission had failed. She was about to die.

Inhaling a breath, she watched as the computer screen menu suddenly changed and something else flashed against her monitor screen.

_FAILSAFE DELETION ACTIVATED. DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE?_

Akela noticed latter option and willed her mind to respond to the computer's question. Naturally, she picked yes. Immediately, another message popped up in her eyeball.

_FAILSAFE SAFE DELETION DOWNLOADING NOW._

Within a few seconds, the pain in her head began to subside.

_DELETION COMPLETE._

She shook her head and soothed her temple with her fingers before she observed a female cat-person sprinting toward Black Mamba and Stacy X. The cat-woman looked very angry to the point that she wanted to tear both mutants' heads.

"Use your pheromone power!" Black Mamba yelled at her sister. "Hypnotize her!"

"I can't!" Stacy X gasped. "It only works on men!"

Black Mamba tried hold the feline woman down with her shadow power but the cat-person was too strong and fought against the bizarre miasma restraints. Even with the tendrils wrapping around the cat-woman's arms, their enemy still managed to free herself by slicing away at the black mass with her sharp talons. She turned to the girls, growled, and intended to repeat the same process with her claws as she did to the blackened shadows. Black Mambo and her younger sister clung to each other screamed as the cat-person charged at them.

Akela had not a second to lose. Her bionic legs leaped toward the cat-woman. With her cybernetic right arm wrapped around the feral cat's neck and other regular lefty placed on the creature's head, the African American twisted both limbs until a snap was heard. The cat-person toppled to the ground dead as her lifeless body landed in front of the two reptoid girls. They whimpered.

"Th…thanks." Stacy X sobbed in relief.

Shooting her smile, Akela grinned. "No problem." She lifted her right hand and allowed a tiny mist of a sleeping concoction to seep out of her pores. Both reptile girls shut their eyes and dozed off as the cyborg operative put them out temporarily. With two of Voelker's thugs out of commission, the African American agent concentrated on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the vicinity. She used her electronic eyeball as a telescope to see Agent May and Agent Triplett dodging the electrical attacks from their foe named the Eel. She tapped into her electronic communicator. "They're on top of the cave and they're in trouble!" She announced to a mysterious contact.

Atop the cavern, Eel tried to fry May and Triplett with his powers but he had no such luck. The two agents were too fast for him. He spotted Melinda rushing toward him and decided to take her out for good.

"Just die already!" He yelled at the Asian woman. Shooting one big beam of electricity at female known as the Calvary, he noticed in frustration as May managed to duck and roll out of the path of his attack before hurrying to her feet again. Eel grumbled. "What does it take to kill you guys?"

"A worthy foe!"

Eel heard a familiar voice around him as he turned around to see metal baton flying toward his head. The edge of the tiny staff struck him across the forehead and knocked him out cold. May saw the reptile man crumple to the ground and looked to see who threw the weapon. An alluring blonde, blue eyed woman in a latex jumpsuit stood next to the unconscious Eel and picked up the baton while clutching another one in her other hand.

"The Huntress!" May sneered. She raced toward the blonde villainess to fight her.

Angelica Plunder hesitated and hoped to reason with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. "Agent May! You don't' understand! I can explain!" The Asian operative was not about to listen. It was kill or be killed. The blonde scientist and assassin prepared for a fight. She exhaled. "Fine. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way! Bring it on, Calvary!"

May became angry. "DON'T CALL ME THAT, HUNTRESS!"

Shaking her head, Angelica shrugged. "I hate being called that too!" She ducked when the Asian woman sent a flying fist to her face. The Huntress responded by attempting to strike May in the chest with her batons but the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent deflected the attack with her wrists and successfully landed a punch to the blonde scientist's shoulders. Startled, Angelica stumbled a few inches before regaining her composure and dropping to her knees. She extended her leg out, caught May's ankle with her feet and swept her off balance causing the Calvary to fall. This gave time for the Huntress to regain her stance, as did May, who jumped to feet and balled her fist in preparation for the next move by her opponent. Both women were now at a stalemate.

From the side of the mountain, Antoine watched the catfight happen. Admittedly, he was appalled but strangely intrigued in watching two beautiful women duke it out in front of him. However, he refused to get in the middle of it. Static appeared on his communicator device as the female voice came on.

"_Agent Antoine Triplett._ _This Agent Akela Amador. I'm tapping into your communication frequency. Do you copy?"_

"Amador?" He curled his mouth. "What do you want?"

"_Look, I know the circumstances right now are questionable and you have no reason to believe me but please know that I'm a double agent for Commander Hill! I've taken out two of Voelker's men but the woman Agent May is fighting is also a double agent also. Her name is not really Dr. Angelica Plunder! She's my other partner on this mission. She's on our side!"_

Antoine was skeptical. "How do I know I can believe you? You were working for Voelker and the Baroness."

"_I had to go deep undercover so I could find out their plans. I know you don't have any reason to believe me but tell me, Triplett, what is the title of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize novel by Harper Lee?"_

"What?"

"_Just humor me. What is the name of the book?"_

Antoine exhaled. "To Kill a Mockingbird.

"_Well then, trust in the Mockingbird. She doesn't kill unless she has to!"_

The African American operative understood the reference. He turned to May who was evenly matched against her combatant and waved his arms to her.

"May! Stop! The Huntress is a cover! She's not our enemy! She's a double agent! That's Agent Barbara Morse! The Mockingbird!"

May stopped fighting as she clasped on to the blonde fighter's dual batons. She glanced at the woman calling herself Dr. Angelica Plunder and raised her eyebrows. "Agent Morse?"

The blonde double agent grinned. "Good to finally meet you, Calvary!"

Releasing her hands from Barbara's weapons, Melinda May stepped back. The Mockingbird had garnered a tremendous reputation as both a skilled fighter, undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, and hero. Next to Natasha Romanov, the agent was a legend. The Calvary had a deep respect for her.

"My apologies, Agent Morse." She blushed. "I had no idea."

"No apologies necessary." Barbara smiled. "You were simply doing your job."

Both women patted the dirt from their clothes as they put away their weapons and fists and reorganized to come up with the plan of action. Antoine joined them soon after.

"Where are Voelker and the Baroness?" May questioned the Mockingbird.

"Still in the cave." Barbara replied. "They're trying for the Ebrok Seal."

"What's the Ebrok Seal?" Agent Triplett asked.

"It's a…" The blonde woman started explaining but they were interrupted by a large tremor that rocked the top of the mountain. A loud explosion hit through the corner of the ground and Antoine grabbed both women and dragged them to safety as dirt and rock scattered everywhere and the bright red light shot through a role nearby. Agent Barbara Morse observed the mysterious ray and gasped. "Oh no!"

May saw the double agent's concern on her face and turned to her. "Agent Morse, what is it?"

"It's Grant Ward!" She said. "The Baroness must have activated his failsafe! The ionic energy inside of him is unstable!"

"Which means?" Antoine asked.

"It means he's going to explode!"

* * *

Inside the cave, Ward roared with pain. His dropped to his knees, hugged his shoulders, and howled in agony. He could feel the fire burning though his body, blaze through every pore of his body as the molecular energy from within could not be imprisoned anymore. He had to release it. Opening his eyes wide, his dark eyes glowed red and he let the power go.

Bright red light flashed through his pupils and it struck the ceiling of the cavern, burning a hole at the top. Several stalactites fell from the surface and targeted the group of enemies below as everyone scattered to safety.

Agent Coulson, who by now had recovered from Dr. Barne's assault, somersaulted and grabbed the Night-Night gun that the unconscious Skye had dropped and used it to knockout the reptile paleontologist. The tall dinosaur doctor fell asleep instantly which allowed the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader to aim his weapon at his other foes.

"GRAB THE GIRL!" Raina shrieked at one of her feline bodyguards. The cat-thug darted toward a sleeping Skye, picked her up and carried her out of the cave. Raina soon followed which left her second lackey to battle it out with the Serpent Society's Cobra. It only took a few seconds before the reptoid and the cat-person to duke it out inside the cave.

More debris fell from the ceiling. The Baroness and her former employer, Dr. Voelker, faced off as they drew their pistols and fired. Each shot missed as both opponents took cover behind several of the cavern's rock formations. However, the reptile leader proved to be a better shot as he fired two rounds at the Ebrok Seal Dr. Kohler had been holding and shattered the fossil in half. Frustrated by the damaged artifact, the German woman clasped the one half that bore the lion's mark and shot a few rounds at the other scientist, only to miss with each pull of the trigger.

Back near the other side of the cave, Cobra and his cat-foe bit, scratched, and wrestled. Though the mutated reptile man was stronger than most humans, his combatant was equally the same. Cobra's slit eyes glanced up at the blast of red light striking the ceiling that emitted from Ward and he used his forked tongue to grab a hold of the cat-man's wrist. Then with a sudden pull, he dragged his enemy toward him and in the path of a sharp stalactite descending from the ceiling. The cat-man did not have a chance to break free as his body was impaled by the large sharp object.

"COBRA!" The reptile man heard his master call out him. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Cobra complied, leaped in the path of the Baroness's bullets that did very little in penetrating his scaly skin, and grabbed the other half of the broken seal that contained the snake etching. His muscular arms then wrapped around the scientist and he carried both his leader and the fossil in his arms and out of the cave. With her gun in hand, the Baroness trailed after them outside of the cave. Coulson tried to follow but the ceiling started to collapse which prevented him from escaping to the entrance.

He watched in horror as a large stalactite came barreling at him up from above.

* * *

Up top of the cavern, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents tried to gain their balance but with Grant Ward's ionic abilities being out of control, it made it even more difficult as the mountain shook in a violent tremor. Several sounds of planes landing caught their attention as they noticed a strange woman in a flower dress, followed by a large cat-man carrying an unconscious Skye in his arms and went inside an awaiting jet. They blinked again and this time the Baroness ran out of the entrance of the cave holding something heavy in her arms as she boarded the same getaway vehicle and took off into the air. A few of their remaining feline allies tried to leap on board as well but were quickly shot down by Voelker's surviving reptile soldiers. They continued to fire until the very last cat person was dead on the ground.

"They've got Skye!" Antoine noted through his binoculars. "We got to save her!"

May extended her arm to calm her down. "We'll rescue her, I promise! But first we need to get to Coulson!"

The Calvary was right. The mountain of the cavern shook again as another blast of red light made another hole nearby. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents glanced down at the entrance but again their group leader had not resurfaced. Instead, it was Cobra and Voelker who ran out of the cave and with the Serpent Society villain carrying the other half of the Ebrok seal. As did Raina and the Baroness's exit strategy, Voelker called forth his own private jet and ordered Cobra and his soldiers to go on board. Within minutes, the reptile scientist took off into the skies.

Jemma Simmons voice immediately came on the group's communicator feed. _"Everyone, our thermal scanners are detecting a major problem. It turns out that someone inside the cave with Coulson has a huge amount of unstable ionic energy. I believe it to be Grant Ward who is the shell housing such power. The ions are transforming and radiating a type of nuclear emission, so much so, that it's unable to be contained which isn't good for any of us…"_

"Simmons, paraphrase in English please!" Agent May demanded.

"_She's saying that Ward is turning into one big atom bomb!" _ Fitz added. _"He's going to take out the cave, Coulson, us and the almost the entire park!"_

Antoine's mouth dropped. "What do we do?"

Jemma grew nervous. _"I don't know. I haven't a clue of how to destabilize the ionic energy. It's beyond my field of study!"_

At this point, Barbara Morse got on the communicator. "Agents Fitz and Simmons, this is Agent Barbara Morse…"

"_The Mockingbird?" _ Both scientists gasped. Apparently, the blonde operative's reputation had preceded her.

"Yes, the Mockingbird!" She groaned. "Listen, I have an idea. I worked on the serum that put the ions inside Ward. I made sure the experiments had a back-up failsafe should something like were to occur. Do any of your drones still use carbon dioxide tanks to cool down their fans so they don't overheat?"

"_Of course,"_ said Fitz. _"The six drones I sent out in the cave still contain the carbon dioxide tanks. Why?"_

"If we can gather enough of the compounds within the tanks, we can create an anti-serum. It'll be just enough to freeze the Ward's molecular structure and…"

"_And contain the nuclear fission to prevent him from having a nuclear meltdown!" _ Jemma applauded. _"Brilliant!"_

Barbara grinned. "Of course. Now we only have a couple minutes before Ward completely goes atomic. We'll need someone to gather the six tanks from the drones inside the cave and inject it inside Ward."

"I'll go!" Akela offered from down below near the cavern's entrance. "My legs are cybernetic now. I can run faster and gather them in the time needed."

"Hurry, Akela!" The blonde agent instructed. From the edge, the watched as the African American woman became a blur and rushed into the entrance to complete her objectives. Barbara then turned to May and Antoine. "Okay, let's get down from here and hurry inside." She pulled a syringe from her pocket. "I'll need to inject this into him before he really blows up!"

All agreed and headed into the cave. They raced down the steep path to where they saw a wounded Ward writhing in pain. There was an eerie glow in his eyes and he blasted several beams of light into the walls of the cavern, demolishing the stone. Bizarre crisscrosses of lines, illuminated across his face, cracked like a jigsaw puzzle and waited for the ionic energy building inside him to be released. Agony and tears fell across the traitor's face to the point the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents almost felt sorry him. Almost.

"_The ionic readings are off the charts!" _Jemma noted through their communication devices. _"Are you sure it's safe to be in there with him?"_

"We don't have much of a choice." May responded. She heard some moaning nearby and she shifted her gaze to see Coulson lying on the ground near an unconscious Dr. Daniel Barnes who no longer sprouted fur. Her dark eyes looked down to see that the sharp stalactite that had fallen from the damaged ceiling had barely missed the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent but the hard side of the rock formation had pinned Coulson's right leg down. The martial arts expert tried to move the heavy object but was unsuccessful.

"Coulson! Are you all right?" She asked him.

"I'm breathing, aren't I?" He groaned. The tremendous weight of the stalactite was excruciating. "Help get this thing off me!"

Agent Morse and Triplett assisted May with attempting to move the heavy rock but even with the three of them, it did not budge one inch. Frustrated and in pain, Coulson frowned as he noticed the blonde scientist helping his team out.

"Dr. Plunder?"

Barbara smiled. "It's actually Agent Morse…"

Coulson made a half-smile, a snicker and tried to mentally push the crushing pain away from his leg. "The Mockingbird! I should've known Commander Hill would send someone in on this case…"

"I've got it!" Akela rushed in, holding the vials of carbon dioxide. She saw the group circled around her mentor, Coulson, and marched in to help. Her dark eyes saw the broken stalactite to which she easily pulled it up with her bionic right arm and allowed May and Triplett to pull up the group's leader to his feet.

Slipping his arm around Antoine for support, the S.H.I.E.L.D. operative nodded in gratitude to his former protégé. "I'm glad you're back on the right side, Akela."

"I never left." She smiled.

Howls of agony resonated through the cave. One wide ray red light blasted through the cave, causing an even bigger avalanche of rock and stone to fall. Agent Morse grabbed the carbon dioxide pellets from Akela's hands and began inserting them into her syringe.

"_Guys!" _ Fitz stuttered. _"Jemma's readings are going off the charts! Ward's ions are ready to go supernova! You better do something quick!"_

Morse took the news and agreed. She shifted her focus to her comrades as the cave shook even more violently and more rocks tumbled from the ceiling and from the walls. Her blues eyes directed toward Akela. "Agent Amador! Get Coulson, May and Triplett as well as Dr. Barnes to safety! Now!"

"What about you?" She asked the blonde woman.

"Someone needs to inject the freezing compound inside Ward!" Barbara shouted. "It might as be the one who put the problem inside him in the first place!" She raised the syringe. "Now go!"

Coulson protested but Akela lifted the wounded man and supported his weight with her bionic arm. Then she raced out of the cave to safety with Agent Triplett who dragged the sleeping body of Dr. Barnes trailing not far behind. The only one who stayed was Agent May.

"What are you doing?" Barbara questioned her motives.

"Finishing what we started." The Asian woman responded with no emotion. "It's time Ward and I settled the score!"

The Mockingbird refused to delve into the details of her remarks but instead directed her attention on the dark haired man who was glowing from every pore of his body. Barbara steadied the syringe and prepared to plunge it into the tall man's arm.

Unable to stand the pain rising through his body, his red eyes saw the blonde scientist attacking him with a needle and his natural instinct was to defend himself. Once again he felt the strange surge of power flowing through his body and through his pupils and he shot them forward.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Barbara dropped and rolled, narrowly missing being struck down by the red lasers from Ward's eyes. She scrambled to her feet, got herself back on point and readied herself for another attack. She was more than prepared. Unfortunately, her necessary component for her attack was not. She had dropped the syringe which made stabilizing the ionic energy inside even more difficult.

"_Agent Morse!" _ Jemma's voice gasped. _"You have to plunge the syringe now! Ward's thermal readings are one second away from full meltdown!"_

The Mockingbird frowned. "Working on it! A little difficult right now since the syringe is out of my hands!" She scanned the ground to see the needle had rolled behind Ward. This was going to make the situation even more challenging. Her blue eyes glanced up to see the cracks start to escape from her target's skin. Ward howled even louder at the anguish happening inside his body. He was ready to finally let go of the pain and let the energy flowing through him be released into the air. His face observed the blonde scientist advancing toward him again and he shot another beam of light toward her. He missed but this time she was further away from capturing the syringe.

Now nothing was going to stop him from going supernova.

Except for the Asian agent known as the Calvary who he made the mistake of sleeping with, Melinda May snuck up behind him, grabbed the syringe, and plunged the needle deep into his neck. Ward gasped, fell the weird light retreat and the power inside him returning back inside him. Little by little the pain went away and the traitorous H.Y.D.R.A. operative finally inhaled a sigh of relief.

Well, until May punched him the face.

"This is for the team!" She spat as his head throbbed from the first blow. She struck him again. "And this is for me!" The final blow came and she knocked him out cold. She went over to Agent Morse and helped her up before getting on her communicator. "Agent May here. Threat is contained!"

"_Wondeful!" _ Jemma cheered. _"Thermal readings have decreased! No more signs of nuclear meltdown!"_

"_We did it!" _Fitz applauded.

Placing an appreciative hand on Melinda May's shoulder, Agent Morse smiled at her fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. "Good work, Calvary."

May shook her head and frowned. "Please don't call me that!"

* * *

_The sand felt like feathers. They were light, floated like the dust beneath her feet, and returned to the ground in giant pile. The yellow sun shined above, turned the sky red, though no heat blazed across the strange desert in front of her. She glanced around, noticed the ruined temples that once resembled the great pyramids she had seen in books and movies and theorized where she was._

_Egypt?_

_It had to be. There was no other explanation._

_Skye marched through the sand, hoping to find out where she was until a figure near a dried up old tree startled her. From the distance, it looked female. She had soft curves, hips that sauntered with a feminine quality, and wore thin layers of cloth that covered the most essential of the strange female's anatomy. The figure came close, hunkered down on all fours, and displayed a long moving tail from the back. She instantly knew the figure was not human._

_A frightening roar emitted from the female's mouth. Skye adjusted her eyes and noticed a pair of sharp canines from the top and bottom of the woman's gums. Orange fur covered the stranger's skin while various black stripes gathered around the face, limbs and torso of the mysterious figure. However, it was her eyes that intrigued the hacker the most; green with oval slits in the pupils captured her attention, to which the fledgling S.H.I.E.L.D. agent knew was preparing to maul her to death. Skye quickly turned on her heels and ran._

_The tiger woman roared again. This time it spoke. It was not hard to make out the voice. Low, guttural, and sinister, it spoke to Skye as if communicating inside her head._

"_NO ESCAPE! I AM VENGENCE! I AM JUSTICE! YOU AND ME BECOME ONE!"_

_Skye ignored the words and continued running. The sand slowed her down and she could feel the tiger woman coming closer. It stopped, exhibited her sharp claws and lunged at the hacker._

"_YOU AND ME BECOME ONE! I AM GUARDIAN! I AM YOU!"_

_Tripping over feet, Skye fell. She rolled over on to her back to see the fearful image of the tiger woman jumping on top of her with its teeth and claws bared and ready to attack. Once again, the thing growled and shot forward._

_Helpless and unable to move, Skye screamed._

* * *

"She's waking up!"

Raina and her comrades stepped back to allow Skye to get off the altar. Her ears picked up the sound of a plane engine nearby only to realize that it was very same jet that was transporting her somewhere. The destination was yet to be determined.

Her eyes soaked in her bizarre surroundings. Dozens of people looking like humanoid cat-people knelt down in front of her including the exotic woman in the flower dress. She hugged herself and noticed the white sheet covering her naked body and the weird tear drop stone pendant around her neck. For some reason, it did not suit her but she managed to adjust to the uncomfortableness of it.

Clutching her sheet with her left hand, she noticed something different about the skin on her right arm. It was softer than usual, sprouted a color of orange fur and bore black striped marks around the full bristles of hair. Her tongue grazed her teeth, felt the sharp canines in her upper and lower jaw as a long, thick curly mane of hair fell across her shoulders. She shifted her face to the reflective surface of metal glass inside the room to see that her face became more feline and catlike in appearance and noticed the greenish-yellow tint in her eyes alongside the oval slit in her pupils. Normally, she would have been scared but for some reason she was not. Even when she noticed the moving cat tail right above her backside, Skye did not even bat an eyelash. To her, this all felt normal.

Raina extended her hand and assisted the confused girl off the altar.

"Welcome back, Skye."

"What…am…I?" Skye's voice growled as her claws extended from her fingertips.

"_You are the Felis's …greatest…weapon…"_

A voice gasped and wheezed as one of the cat people wheeled a disfigured gentleman from the shadows. Skye did not flinch nor become appalled by the man's physical appearance. In fact, she experienced a deep connection to him.

"Who…are you?" She curled her mouth.

"_I'm called…Flavius…by our people's name…I am also…your father!"_

"Father?" Skye muttered as she tried to make sense of all of this.

"_Yes!"_ Her father wheezed and coughed._ "You were destined…to be the guardian…of the Felis…The Cat People…You were chosen…to carry the power…of our kind…as vengeance and retribution…."_

"Who am I?" She asked.

"_The Tigra!"_


	5. Chapter 5

_The sound of the rolling tide held a calming effect on her. She used her soft fingers to touch the wooded railing, admired the amazing white paint job of the deck, and inhaled the fresh ocean air as the seagulls flew overhead. She never felt happier._

_Bare feet padded across the sandy planks of the beach house and she leaned in across the railing and watched the waves create beautiful sea form as it crashed into the shore. Long dark hair fell down her back and she hugged the fabric of the baggy t-shirt of her lover that she had been wearing and remembered the wonderful night they spent together._

_A small stir of grunts and yawns caught her attention and she turned around to see him stretching his muscular arms wide and waking up to the glorious rays of the sun shining through their bedroom windows. The covers concealed the most intimate parts of his body but there was no mistaking the athletic physique and golden tan that her tall lover displayed in front of her._

_From their bed, Grant Ward watched Skye soak in the fresh sun through the open sliding door of their bedroom balcony deck. His black t-shit fit her perfectly, accentuating the flawless curves of her body and outlined every smooth tone of her bare legs and arms. Reaching for his pajama bottoms on the floor, he slipped his pants on and went to join her outside._

_Naked strong arms wrapped around her torso as Skye greeted the tall agent with series of kisses and allowed their bodies to be connected within that moment. Words could not describe the feeling. He had finally experienced peace, tranquility and a sense of comfort; something he had been denied for a very long time. Now embracing his lover in his arms, everything fell into place. Everything felt right._

"_Good morning." Skye nibbled at his ear. "I hope you slept well."_

_Ward grinned. "Better than I ever did in a long time. That's because you're here with me."_

_Skye giggled. "I feel the same."_

_They held each other tight. Sounds of the rolling tide kept them relaxed as the both of them refused to let go. The dark haired exotic beauty shut her eyes and smiled._

"_Why did you do it, Ward? Why did you betray us?"_

_The tall man's eyes lit up in surprise. He pushed Skye away only to notice a huge wet red stain on her shirt._

"_Skye! What's going on?"_

_Blood poured from the hacker's mouth. "You…killed me…"_

_Her eyes suddenly closed as her body went limp and collapsed against Ward's bare chest. Frightened and confused, he stared at his palms dripping with his dead lover's blood. A jagged knife had been placed into one of his hands which made him realize his crimes._

_He screamed._

"_NOOOOOOO!"_

* * *

"He's coming to!"

Jemma Simmons checked his pulse. "His heartbeat is steady. It looks like the ionic energy is stabilized for now. The treatments you've administered, Dr. Morse, are working."

"Good." The blonde scientist smiled. "Stark's implant will help with conditioning and controlling Ward's unstable ionic molecules. As long as we keep administering the serums, he should be able to get his ions manageable."

Ward overheard this and shifted his head toward all the people in the room around him. He recognized Fitz and Simmons who appeared to be fidgeting with some machines that connected to a series of wires and tubes all around his chest. Speaking of which, he noticed a tiny W-shaped scab on his left pectoral and wondered how he received it but then he noticed the blonde scientist, Dr. Angelica Plunder heading toward him with syringe. He panicked and began to struggle but quickly learned that both his wrists and ankles had been strapped to a gurney which left him at the mercy of the mad doctor.

"You inject anymore of that junk of me!" He threatened the scientist. "I'll kill you!"

"Oh relax!" Barbara rolled her eyes. "It's not poison. It's a sedative." She administered the needle into his arm. "We operated on your chest and hour ago. The anesthesia is going to wear off soon. You're going to be in a lot of discomfort."

"What did you do to me?" He gritted his teeth.

Agent Morse sighed. "The ionic experiments created by the Baroness made the molecular structure of your body unstable. You were like a living atom bomb that was ready to go off. Through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assistance, we were able to harness the energy inside of you and use an implant device that dampens any possibility of your physical nature to go nuclear." She pointed to the scab. "That scar that you'll now bear is where we made the incision to implant the machine that will keep the ions at a cooling temperature so that you don't explode."

"And why should I believe you?" He shook head. "You had Voelker and Dr. Kohler turned me into a human weapon!"

The blonde agent frowned. "I'm sorry that you were made a casualty in all of this. We needed a sacrificial lamb to undergo their bizarre experiments in order for me and my partner to infiltrate the Serpent Society's organization and discover their plans."

"Your partner?" Ward angrily tried to figure out who the person was. Then it struck him. "You and Agent Amador are working together as double agents?"

Agent Morse nodded. "My name isn't Dr. Angelica Plunder. I'm Operative Barbara Morse or what everyone likes to refer me as…"

"The Mockingbird!"

Barbara exhaled. "Yes."

Ward's dark eyes lit up. "I've heard about you. Next to the Black Widow, you're one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top undercover agents." Slowly, his brain began to solve all the riddles. "So Amador agreed to be part of the Serpent Society's science project? The cybernetics? Pretending to be a on their side?"

She nodded. "After Coulson rescued Akela from Centipede, I personally recruited her from detainment and brought her into the fold. She was willing to give herself another chance and prove to us that she was a capable operative and could go undercover as a double agent. She agreed to having nanomites being implanted inside her body in order to see this mission through. This shows dedication and loyalty on her part."

Ward's body struggled against his restraints. His tone sounded bitter. "What about me?" He glared at the agent. "How did I fit into the picture of becoming a weapon in your mission?"

"It was all under Commander Hill's command as payback for killing Victoria Hand."

Agent Coulson walked into the medical bay, followed by an angry Melinda May who stared daggers into her former teammate.

"Apparently, Agent Morse had been secretly keeping tabs on Dr. Voelker's activites." The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader remarked. "He and the Baroness had been making plans for creating a pair of super soldiers to add to their Serpent Society army before she betrayed them to the Cat-People. Akela volunteered and orchestrated the Citadel breakout. You, Ward, just happened to me the lottery winner with the golden ticket. I consider it karmic justice for the wrongs you've caused."

"Like murdering your fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents!" May sneered.

"Or betraying us to H.Y.D.R.A." Jemma added.

"How about dropping your so-called friends at the bottom of the ocean?" Fitz added angrily.

Coulson smirked. "Looks like you're out of popularity votes. I guess you won't be voted prom king this year. You might as well accept the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. has being generous by pulling some strings and letting Stark Industries created a special ionic chamber that controls the unstable molecular structure inside your body. However, as far as all of your former teammates are concerned, we don't trust you enough even now with your present condition. You'll get no sympathy here."

Ward scowled. "You want me to be grateful, Coulson?" His face was expressionless. "Forget it. I'm exactly as John Garrett trained me. A soldier. A killer. A traitor. I don't need friends!"

Miffed by his comment, Fitz balled his fists and glared at the man lying on the gurney. "Well we don't need you too, Grant Ward! We're better off letting you die out back at the Burgess Shale…"

Coulson squeezed the engineer's shoulder to calm him down. "Fitz, it's okay. I've got this one." The Scotsman tried to contain his anger and resentment over the traitor. He sulked back to his corner. "Well then, since we did the noble thing of saving your worthless hide, we'll drop you off at the nearest government penitentiary facility. Maybe some time behind bars will help you see your actions clearer…"

"Agent Coulson!" Barbara intervened. "I understand your team and Grant Ward have a bitter history together…"

"He sank me and Jemma into the bottom of the ocean!" Fitz argued again.

"Fitz is right, Agent Morse." Jemma agreed. "All of us have a personal grievance against Grant Ward. There's no possible way that we can work with him, let alone trust him."

May folded her arms and grinned. "Then it's settled. The Bastion is along the way. I can detour and drop him off…"

"No!" Agent Morse argued. "No matter what deeds Grant Ward has done in the past, I need him for this mission. We are up against the Vala-Kuri, two groups of beast men. No one else is going to offer any support, not the American military, not the other surviving S.H.I.E.L.D. divisions, and, definitely, not the Avengers. We on our own and we need all the support we can get. Now that we have Ward's ionic powers under control, then we can use his skills in helping to stop them as well as rescuing your teammate Skye."

Ward's eyes widened. "Skye? What happened? Where is she?" His wrists shook against his restraints. "Why can't I break free from these straps? What happened to my strength?"

"We dampened your powers temporarily for your own good." The blonde scientist explained. "When you're ready, we'll return them to you only if you agree to join us on this mission."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Coulson barked. "Ward is a traitor and a H.Y.D.R.A. agent! I don't trust him and neither does my team. I won't jeopardize their safety by sleeping with the enemy!"

"Then give him a second chance!"

Akela Amador entered the room. Despite now being given cybernetic implants, she still appeared strong and human in every possible way. She slowly walked up to her former mentor. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Coulson, but Agent Triplett is watching over our prisoners so I could join the meeting." She glanced down at a helpless Ward on the gurney. "I understand that none of you trust Ward. I wouldn't either after all the things he's done. However, you gave me a second chance after I betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D. to Centipede. You saved me from them and spoke on my behalf with the defense department so they would grant me leniency for my crimes." She folded her arms. "I'm asking the same for Grant Ward."

Scratching his head, Coulson frowned. "But that was different. Centipede forced you to commit those crimes. Your life was danger and you had no other choice."

"No." She corrected. "I did have a choice. I had choice to die a hero or be coward and let someone else dictate to me how to carry out their dirty work. I foolishly chose the latter. During my time at the Citadel, I got to know a little more about my cell neighbor. I don't believe Grant Ward is inherently evil. He was a man who was given a raw deal in life and deserves a second chance just like you gave me one, Coulson. Therefore, I'm begging you. Let me and Agent Morse work with him and prove to all of us that there is a hero truly underneath that traitorous guise. I'm asking that he be admitted to the team."

Ward was struck by the African American woman's compassion and sympathy for him. Akela Amador knew nothing about him and yet she was willing to go out on a limb and vouch for his good qualities. He never thought he had any. He hated to admit it but he experienced a kind of a joy, knowing that someone supported him. It made him feel good. Still, he felt the need to keep his guard up. He refused to show weakness even if it came from some bionic stranger and a pretty blonde double agent.

Coulson considered his protégé's proposal and considered it long and hard. Sensing the wheels turning in her leader's head, May cocked her head in disbelief.

"Coulson, you're seriously not thinking…"

Even Jemma agreed. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't think it's a good idea to allow Ward back into the fold."

"Jemma's right!" Fitz remarked in frustration. "He's a traitor and a killer! Who knows what he'll do to us if we let him back in again…"

"ENOUGH!" Coulson shouted. "I'm in charge here!" He glared at Akela and Barbara. "For once I'm going to put my faith in your judgments! If you believe Grant Ward is redeemable, then I'll support your decision in letting him rejoin this team!" He stared at the dark haired man. "But know this, Ward! You do anything to harm any of my friends, I will put you down for good! Is that clear?"

Ward smirked. "Loud and clear." His tone sounded like he did not mean it. With him, it was always difficult to know if he was telling the truth.

"I'm leaving you two to discuss the guidelines of his participation with us," he said to the two women. "The rest of you. Follow me to the interrogation room. We need to question our prisoners in their involvement with the Vala-Kuri!" Jemma and Fitz trailed after Coulson and into the hallway of the plane while Melinda May hesitated for a bit and wanted to share her perspective with Ward.

"Let's get one thing straight." The Asian operative curled her mouth downward. "I don't trust you. I'll be watching your every move and I'll be on top of you at every turn. Betray us again and I will personally put a bullet into your brain without hesitation. Is that understood?"

Ward grinned. "Absolutely. You always like to be on top."

May clucked her tongue. "Don't test me, Grant Ward! Mark my words, I will be watching you!" She exited the room and allowed Akela and Barbara to speak freely with him.

Once Agent May left, Akela rolled her eyes. "This is why you never want to hook up with a coworker. It always brings on complications."

The tall man snickered. "Am I that obvious?"

"You could sense the tension in the air." Agent Morse commented. "You're just lucky the Calvary didn't chop off your head and wore it on her sleeve as an adornment."

Ward groaned. "That was a rumor. No one ever corroborated that story of May's involvement in the DaSalvo mission."

The blonde woman shot him a serious look. "Is it really a rumor?"

The Mockingbird was not kidding. He gulped. "By the way, why did you two agree to vouch for me? I'm not exactly going to be added to anyone's friends' list."

Akela placed a supportive hand on the dark haired man's chest. "You and me, Grant Ward, aren't much different. I've read your real profile and found out about your controlling father, bullying older brother and a lot of deep family issues. You've learned to deal with this baggage of masking your emotions and being a master manipulator, thanks in part to John Garrett's influence. He did make you his special soldier and gave you focus but he could not repair the man that remained hidden underneath."

Ward bit his lip out of frustration. He did not appreciate the cyborg psychoanalyzing him. He did not want to reopen the wounds of his past. "You don't know me, Amador! You don't know me at all!"

The African American woman frowned. "No. I don't know you but you're not the only one who has the rage built up inside. I grew up in the ghetto, watched my family die from drugs and gang-related shootings. I've seen little kids sell themselves for food and a warm bed to sleep in. No, Grant Ward, I don't know you but I do know that you hurt inside! You're so full of anger that you fill the need cut off all your emotional ties, your compassion, your humanity! By doing so, you allow all the trauma of your childhood to consume you and make you a mindless drone! Someone who John Garrett knew how to shape into his personal killing machine! I should know because I was the same way I was recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D."

The dark haired man refused to believe her.

"It's true," she continued. "In order to be a top operative, you have to sever all emotional ties, any interpersonal relationships because they cause disruptions and complications in this line of work. I did that and it made me cocky. I refused to listen to Coulson and I ended up being captured by Centipede. You do the same, Ward. You allow only the gruff, anti-social personality to show because you feel the need to mask the true emotions underneath because you fear of being seen as weak. You're not weak, Grant Ward! You're a survivor like me!"

"And that's why we are willing to support your recruitment back into S.H.I.E.L.D." The Mockingbird stepped in. "You might not think you're worthy of being considered a good person or a hero but we do. Like Akela, I've had my share of difficult family drama but I've learned to let go of the past and become the capable agent I know I can be with a sense of purpose and that is saving the world."

"How do you know you can trust me?" He snorted. "I just might turn on you like everyone says." He taunted.

"Not on this mission." Agent Morse emphasized. "I've learned about your interesting bond with a fledgling agent who is a level 0-8-4. A Skye, I believe."

Ward's face became excited upon hearing her name. "Skye! What about her? You mentioned her being taken!"

Barbara nodded. "She was abducted during the Burgess-Shale incident by one of the Vala-Kuri. The Cat-People, I believe. We haven't figured out the motive behind it but we're working on trying to locate her whereabouts and leading a rescue mission to save her."

"I want in!" The former agent demanded. "I want to help in any way I can!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Akela giggled. She stretched her bionic right hand and easily ripped off Ward's restraints and set him free. "I see we've tapped into something to help you find your true sense of purpose!"

Agent Morse sighed. "We gave him back something to focus on. An emotional attachment. A connection."

Ward soothed the rawness of wrists from where the restraints held him. He thought about what the two women said. He had to admit to himself that their points were true. He had lost his ability to feel, to embrace a connection, to experience any kind of momentary happiness. He only had that with Skye and now the woman he cared for was in trouble. He knew he had to do something. Sitting up on the gurney, he faced his female comrades.

"How long before I get full powers back?"

"Approximately an hour." The blonde scientist stated. "The ionic implant is still trying to adjust to your body."

"Good," smiled Ward. "Because I'm itching for a fight." He cracked his knuckles. "I'm kicking some ass and taking some names. Whomever has Skye better be scared because I'm coming for them!"

Akela's face grinned the widest. "Welcome back, Wonder Man!"

* * *

Stacy Xander-Sealy's leg shook nervously. She had been waiting in the weird room with all the hexagon tiles on the walls for hours and not once had anyone offered to let her see her older sister Tanya. Her face lowered to see the weird cuff on her wrist and she examined her skin to see the platelets that once appeared on her arms return to normal pale skin. The door of her chamber opened and stoic blue eyed, brown haired man in a suit smile as he sat in chair across the table from her.

"Hello Stacy." The stranger greeted. "I'm Agent Phillip Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D."

The young girl put a hand to her mouth in shock. "I heard about you and this S.H.I.E.L.D. Dr. Voelker said you were evil and that you burned down his factory in South America."

"That's partly true." He smiled. "But there's a lot more to the story. Now let's cut to the chase. You and your group, The Serpent Society, were involved with the Pentagon break-in as well as the Burgess-Shale incident. I want you to tell me everything you know about Vala-Kuri and Dr. Seth Voekler's involvement."

Stacy paused. She had difficulty responding to authority figures and learned to keep her mouth shut. Her mind was elsewhere. "Where's my sister, Tanya? Did you do something to her?"

"Tanya is fine." Coulson grinned. "She and your ally, Eel, are holed up in another cell aboard this plane." He pointed to cuff on her wrist. "Like the accessory? It's a gift from our Asgardian friends. It dampens all powers including someone who is a mutant." He eyed her suspiciously. "I know all about your power to hypnotize men with a pheromone mist. Luckily, the cuff prevents you from using it on me."

Defeated, the young woman confessed. "Okay, you got us. Tanya and I are genetic freaks." Her face curled into anger. "Are you happy now? You want to lock us up because we've got these messed up powers?"

Coulson shook his head. "No. Your abilities are not messed up and you're not genetic freaks." His voice was calm and soothing. "Mutation is a wonderful gift that should be harnessed and trained. I hate to say it but it's ignorant homo sapiens who don't understand such matters that wish to do harm to special individuals like yourself." Stacy listened carefully and appreciated his words. "I know, Stacy, that you're not a bad person and you want to do the right thing by protecting your sister."

"It's not her fault!" She defended. "She got caught up in this whole Reptoid war thing that Dr. Voelker kept feeding her! I just came along for the ride!"

"Reptoids?" Coulson pulled back. "Is that what the Serpent Society referred themselves as?"

Stacy nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, there's some old time war between these two groups of beast men calling themselves the Vala-Kuri. The Cat-People and the Reptoids. Voelker kept harping about how we the Reptoids were the first ones on Earth before the Cat-People and how it's our people who shall rule the planet. He started doing these weird experiments on humans who carried some sort of reptile gene to further mutate our appearance. He found Tanya and me stripping at a club in Miami and recruited us after he discovered we were mutants."

"Was this the same serum that allowed you allowed you to alter your appearance from reptile to human and back again?"

"Yeah," she said. "He said that he started doing something like that down in South America with his factory but S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to stop him and burned down the plant. Since then, he's been perfecting the formula and injecting us with it so that he fit into this whole reptile thing."

"And no one died from these experimental drugs?"

Stacy shook her head. "Nah. He found another mutant who had similar Reptoid features. Some blue skinned chick who could shapeshift and used some of her DNA to clone more of the serum. Eventually, she escaped and we never knew her name but her ability allowed us to shift between human and reptile form when we needed to."

"I see." Coulson grew interested. "How did the Baroness fit into the picture?"

"Dr. Kohler used to work for Dr. Voelker back in his plant in South America. They did all sorts of weird science stuff and created soldiers like Eel and Cobra. As far as I know, I really don't know much about the woman. How were we to know that she would choose the other side and join up with the Cat-People?"

"What about the Ebrok Seal?" He asked. "What's so important about it?"

Stacy shrugged. "Beats me. The only thing that Dr. Voelker kept bragging about was how magical it was. We never bothered to ask." She decided to change the subject. "What's going to happen to us?"

Coulson smiled. "Well, Tanya does have to answer for her crimes. She did murder a few of the Pentagon guards with her powers."

The young woman scowled. "It wasn't her fault! Like I told you, Dr. Voelker brainwashed her to do bad things for him!"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. raised his hand to calm her down. "I understand, Stacy, but her actions were made out of her own accord. She will have to answer for them. However, I'll make sure that she receives the best lawyers to defend her case. She might have to serve a little jail time and be ordered to go to therapy and if she remains on good behavior, she'll be released before the year is through. Your friend, Eel, is another story."

"He's not my friend!" She argued. "I know Eel and Cobra are real killers! They scare me! I'm glad that, at least, one of them is caught!"

"What about you, Stacy?" He questioned her. "What is it that you want?"

"I don't know." She mumbled. "No one has ever asked me that. Me and Tanya have always done things in order to survive. Selling drugs, stealing, prostitution, stripping. This the world that I grew up in and more than likely die will in."

Coulson exhaled. "What if I told you there was a better world. One where, if given the chance, you can finally make a difference in your life?"

Stacy remained skeptical. "Like what?"

He smiled. "I have a couple connections. I have friend who is a mutant activist. He has issues with hair loss, spends a lot of time on his wheels, and he sometimes cheats at chess. He runs a special school for gifted youngsters and I think you would flourish there by being with others who share in your unique talents. I could give him call."

She clucked her tongue. "Am I little old to be student? I mean I didn't even graduate high school."

"There's no age requirement at this place." Coulson pointed out. "Plus, no one will judge you there. You can start fresh. You can finally get your diploma. You can be your own person."

Hearing him advertise the place sounded like a dream. Still, she was hesitant. "Could Tanya join me, you know, when she gets out?"

"I don't see why not." He told her.

"Fine." She responded. "I'll do it. I'll go to this school of yours."

"Good." Coulson beamed. He called for Agent May to enter and to escort the young lady back to her cell to join her sister. From the hidden two-mirror way mirror, Agent Triplett observed the interaction and communicated to this leader.

"We still didn't get much Intel." The African American operative shared with his fellow comrade.

"Then we bring in the big guns." Coulson told Antoine. "Have May escort the second prisoner to the interrogation room."

"Dr. Daniel Barnes?"

"Precisely."


	6. Chapter 6

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: It has come to my attention that the way I refer to my characters has become repetitive according to the method I describe them physically and ethnically. Much of this is due to poor writing on my part and how lazy I'm becoming in constantly trying not to sound redundant when the characters are speaking. Sadly, my execution in basic grammar is completely off. To remedy this, I will continue to refer to these characters by name as well as using the proper pronouns in reference to these individuals since the readers have already have prior knowledge of the characters being featured in my story. Moving forward, all explanations of racial descriptions in reference to these characters will be omitted in future chapters. Please accept my apology if anyone was offended by the way the content was featured. It was not my intention to come off in this manner. Now enjoy this fanfic without further disruption. Thank you.**_

* * *

Paleontologist and cat-person Dr. Daniel Barnes twiddled his thumbs in front of him as he watched Agent Coulson taking a seat in the interrogation at the table across from him. His eyes glanced past the hexagon décor to the two way-mirror behind the S.H.I.E.L.D. operative and knew who else was watching in on their conversation. He gritted his teeth, played with the strange cuff on his wrist, and glared at Coulson who stared at him with interest.

"You can stop trying to morph back into your feline form." Coulson stated. "That cuff was specially designed to prevent all prisoners from using their powers."

Barnes took a look at the wristband and noticed the strange markings. He could tell they were not from this world. "Egyptian? Greek?"

"Asgardian." Coulson replied.

"Figures." His voice gave off an annoyed tone. "I'm assuming you want to hear all about the Vala-Kuri?"

"Of course." The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader nodded. "But first…"

Agent May entered the room, got behind the paleontologist, and injected him with a syringe. Dr. Barnes winced and massaged his neck. Then she retreated to the corner to observe the exchange.

"What did you do to me?" He asked him.

"It's a basic truth serum." Coulson explained. "It's to ensure that you give us all the information we need regarding these Cat-People and Reptoids."

Barnes hissed. "You bastard! I'm not talking!" He tried to fight the formula's effects but slowly he found his inhibitions weakening as the agent began to fire a series of questions at him."

"Let's start off with, who exactly are the Vala-Kuri?"

The paleontologist tried to muffle his mouth but a plethora of words spilled forth. "The Vala-Kuri is an ancient race of anthropomorphic humanoid beings simply known as the beast men. They have existed since the dawn of time and records date as far back as the prehistoric age. No one knows where they originated from. It has been said that they came from the stars or other worlds, which doesn't surprise me after the surfacing of the alien attack in New York City and the revelation that Norse gods exists."

"Who are the Cat-People and the Reptoids?"

"The Cat-People or Felis in Latin were one of two main Vala-Kuri tribes. The other was the Reptoids. It has been said that both were granted cosmic magical powers by their leader Ebrok before the Reptoids decided they were superior race and began attacking the Cat-People."

Coulson leaned back. "So this Ebrok was part of both tribes?"

Barnes nodded. "He was a shaman of both the Felis and Reptoids. They say he carried both feline and reptilian traits and even created a mystical seal that unified both clans. However, when a civil war broke out between the two tribes, Ebrok, in his shame, vanished from the Vala-Kuri but not before locking away the seal that granted both factions magical gifts."

"This is the same seal that is highly coveted by the two humanoids?"

"Yes." The scientist replied. "I was sent by the Cat-People to help find the seal that had been missing for millions of years before the Reptoids could get their hands on it. Under the guise of a human paleontologist, it was my duty to ensure that the Ebrok seal never fell in Reptoid hands. Obviously, I failed as our enemies claimed the other half."

Intrigued, Coulson wanted to know more. He continued his line of questioning. "How is it that a Cat-Person can shift between human and feline form as do a Reptoid?"

"Simply through magic but again the individual must carry the Vala-Kuri gene." He told the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader. "You see, when humans began walking the Earth, the Vala-Kuri found themselves dying out due to the purity of their race becoming sterile. To remedy that, both the Cat-People and the Reptoids began mating with humans and producing hybrid offspring to carry on the bloodline. In doing so, these hybrids could disguise themselves in the human world and use this façade to attack their enemies. Eventually, the Reptoid population dwindled, leaving only a few forced into hiding."

"So this eternal war has gone on for a million years, how does Dr. Voelker fit into the picture?"

"He had heard rumors of the Reptoid clans and sought them out." Dr. Barnes explained. "It turned out that he did carry the Vala-Kuri gene and began finding others who did as well. The few remaining Reptoids he uncovered weren't enough so he used corrupt science to multiply his army in order to eradicate our species for good."

"I'm surprised that H.Y.D.R.A. didn't get a piece of the action." Coulson remarked. "The two have similar things in common."

"They did." Barnes admitted. "However, the Reptoids believed H.Y.D.R.A. to be much more of a nuisance than an ally. Plus, they differ in philosophies concerning Earth's conquest. Reptoids simply believe in the evolutionary theory of the strongest surviving while H.Y.D.R.A. is hell-bent on global domination. Contrary to this secret civil war, the Vala-Kuri have no interest in Earth's conquest. We figure that humans eventually will kill each other, die out, and then our species will finally surface to make our presence known. By that time we will be the true rulers of this planet."

"Then why send Baroness Kohler to infiltrate their organization as a spy for you? She's human and a H.Y.D.R.A. agent." Coulson questioned the scientist. "If the Cat-People have a personal grievance against the Reptoids, why let another party get involved?"

The paleontologist sighed. "That's due to our Balkatar."

"Your what?"

"The Balkatar." Dr. Barnes commented. "A chosen leader for both sides of the Vala-Kuri. The shaman Ebrok selected a Balkatar of both the Cat-People and the Reptoids and blessed that individual with magical powers. It's believed that only a Balkatar can harness the magic of the Ebrok seal in order for the object to do its bidding. For my kind, our current Balkatar is named Flavius. For the Reptoids, it's Dr. Seth Voelker."

Coulson scratched his head in confusion. "I'm still not comprehending. If Dr. Voelker is a Balkatar, then why resort to science when he can perform feats of magic."

"That's the thing," laughed the paleontologist. "He never learned how. With the original Reptoids separated and assimilating with humans, their clan was dying out. Somehow he managed to learn that he was descended from the Reptoids and he anointed himself as a Balkatar among his people. Yet, he's was never taught how to do magic or how to harness it. The other half of the Ebrok seal is worthless to him." He tossed his head back and cackled some more. "The Felis has been gathering and forming our own secret civilization for centuries. We've migrated to Africa, Europe, and the frozen wastelands of Russia. We've had Balkatars lead us and helped my tribe develop their magical gifts. We have an advantage over the Reptoids which makes us the superior species!"

"So it was your Balkatar that decided to ally with the Baroness and H.Y.D.R.A.?"

"Certainly." The scientist. "Once a Balkatar is chosen, we cannot go against their judgment even if we disagree with his or her decision. Despite being magical in nature, the Vala-Kuri are not immortal. We age, grow old and die in the same manner as humans. There have been many Balkatars over the centuries who have watched over our clan. Some who ruled justly and others who nearly brought us closer to extinction. Whether or not, we have a choice in the matter is irrelevant. We simply have to follow what our Balkatar demands of us. In case of our Balkatar's allegiance to H.Y.D.R.A., we offer our mystical abilities in exchange for their assistance in destroying the Reptoids!"

Coulson clucked his tongue. "That's a foolish way to live. It sounds like a corrupt Balkatar could end your race."

"Perhaps," he said. "However, it's the way things are. You think humans are any different? Look at your Taliban, North Korea, and Communism. It takes a corrupt group or dictator to control an entire population with fear and years of manipulative ideology." The paleontologist frowned. "Even our Tigra can be used for a Balkatar's selfish purposes."

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader opened his eyes wide. "Tigra? What's that?"

"Tigra is the guardian of the Cat-People." He confessed. "She's a cat spirit who was once the consort of Ebrok. He blessed her with immeasurable feline strength, speed, agility and the power to heal herself. However, her feral nature became too much so he banished her cat soul to another dimension. After Ebrok vanished, many Balkatars have summoned her but the only way she could come into this plane of existence is to possess the body of a chosen female Cat-Person."

"Why female?"

"It's due to her scorned nature. Remember she was a feline woman once. When Ebrok betrayed her, she resented all males of our kind so in order for the Balkatar to control her, a female vessel had to be selected in order for her to be called forth. Unfortunately, there was a loophole. If the female host dies, then Tigra returns to back to the realm she was summoned from."

Agent Coulson started piece together the clues. "So your Balkatar, Flavius, needs the Ebrok seal in order to summon this Tigra in order to destroy your enemies, the Reptoids? In addition, he is allying himself with the Baroness from H.Y.D.R.A. in order to complete his plan."

Dr. Barnes grinned. "You're partly correct, Agent Coulson. Yes, Flavius is trying to use the Ebrok seal to destroy the Reptoids and manipulating H.Y.D.R.A. to do it but as far as summoning Tigra, you've completely missed the mark."

"What do you mean?"

The scientist laughed. "Don't you get it? Haven't you wondered why we kidnapped your teammate Skye?"

Agent May, who had been overhearing this entire conversation, came forward. "What about Skye? Where is she? Where have you taken her?"

Barnes smirked. "We've taken her back to the one place where she rightfully belongs to. To you humans, she would be considered royalty. Back to her father!"

"But her parents were killed!" May declared. "All files indicate that her parents had gone missing in China and assumed to have perished by some catastrophic event in a Chinese village. She's an orphan!"

Barnes laughed again. "Yet, your S.H.I.E.L.D. never learned why she was the only orphan that survived the massacre in that village before your agents spirited her away! According to survivors, a pair of monsters tore apart the area looking for the baby. One of them was killed by a group of monsters who they say had scales while her partner happened to survive the melee. The baby was never found. That baby was…"

"Skye!" Coulson answered for him. "The other monster who died was a Cat-Person. That was her mother?"

The scientist nodded. "Her name was Helene. Flavius went insane when he lost her and vowed revenge on the Reptoids but they got to him first. They sent in assassins to inject a serum to murder him but they failed. They only succeeded in disfiguring him. Since then, he's been plotting to destroy them as well as relocating Skye. Now that he's found Skye, he's already moving on to his next plan to annihilate the entire Reptoid population with the Ebrok seal!"

"But I thought he needed the seal to summon this Tigra?"

Barnes shook his head. "No. The Ebrok seal and invoking the Tigra spirit are two different things. As our Balkatar, he is the only one to summon Tigra and he's found his chosen vessel in his daughter to house the cat spirit. Skye!"

Coulson leaped from the table and grabbed the paleontologist by the shirt. "ENOUGH TALK! WHERE'S SKYE?"

The scientist laughed. "You're too late! Flavius has already summoned the Tigra. Skye's human soul is now gone and belongs to us! Even if you do find her, she'll destroy you and the rest of your team!"

"Then tell us how to fix it!" The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader demanded. "Tell us how to exorcise the thing out of her!"

"You're too late!" Dr. Barnes cackled again. "You're too late!" His face curled into a wicked smile. "I've served my purpose and it's now too late for me too!" Something gulped down his throat and his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his mouth foamed with a white substance. May came rushing toward him as the man fell limp.

"It's a cyanide pill!" She stated. "He had one hidden in his teeth!" Checking his pulse, she knew he was completely gone. "Damn."

Coulson released the dead man as she slumped back into his chair. With a serious tone, he turned to May. "Contact Hill and let her know we're dropping off some prisoners in D.C. Then gather our team and check every possible area that the Baroness and Dr. Voelker have last been seen in."

May folded her arms and shrugged. "Do you think that Skye is really gone?"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader sighed. "I hope not, May. For our sakes, I hope not."

* * *

_The rope burned into her wrists where a tight knot burrowed into her skin. Skye's arms felt sore as the tiger thing tied her hands up to a rotted tree branch nearby. Once again she examined her surroundings. Nothing but sand and desert. She wondered where she was._

_Her eyes began to droop and her face lowered. She sensed someone watching her. She looked up and saw a mysterious figure in a cloak heading toward her._

"_Help me!" She pleaded._

_The stranger removed the hood to reveal a being not much different than a human. His eyes glowed a strange yellow greenish tint and showed oval slits at the center of the pupils. Tan fur and scaly platelets filled his face his face as the figure smiled._

"_Hello Skye." He greeted._

"_Who are you?" She tightened her mouth in frustration. "What do you want?'_

_The stranger merely smiled. "I am called Ebrok. I'm a shaman and it's my job to guide you along the way to your destined path."_

_Skye did not believe him. "What path?" Her eyes pointed to her bound wrists. "I'm tied up, helpless and trying to fight off another attack from some crazy tiger lady. I'm not exactly going anywhere."_

"_Tigra can be quite aggressive." He said. "It's in her nature."_

_She rolled her eyes. "And here I thought she was born as a huge super bitch."_

_The stranger snickered. "Believe it or not, you two need each other. The human soul cannot exist without the cat soul. The two must coexist in order to protect the greater good."_

_Skye frowned. "Greater good? I'm the one tied up here. She's the evil one."_

"_Evil is shaped by the person who wields control." Ebrok grinned. "Tigra might be feral in her nature but she must learn what it's like to be human, to experience true emotion. You can do that for her."_

"_How?" She wondered. "I have no special powers! I'm simply a nobody."_

"_Even a nobody can be someone greater." Ebrok told her. He began to back away from the hacker. "Be one with the cat soul, Skye. Only you can make her understand. Guide her…" His voice became whisper as he faded away. "Guide her…"_

_Skye watched him vanish as she called out to him. "Wait! I don't what I should do! Come back!"_

_It was too late. He was gone and she was still tied up. Any hope of her being rescue was lost._

* * *

_The Mountains of Utah_

Concealed by the Balkatar's magic, the plane housing the Felis was covered by trees and foliage as several of Flavius's guards surrounded the perimeter. Baroness Heike Kohler researched the whereabouts of Eel, Black Mamba, and Stacy X. after the Reptoids had been taken by the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. She hacked into the Pentagon's files and learned they were being transported to Washington D.C.

"It looks like Dr. Voelker's minions are being dropped off by the Pentagon's law enforcement." She told Flavius who inhaled a bit of oxygen from his inhaler.

"_Then…I say we pay…a visit…" _He wheezed. His bloody disfigured hand clutched the armrest of his wheelchair. He turned to his daughter who looked dazed and confused as she stared into a mirror and analyzed her human form. The tear drop pendant with a strange sandstone jewel that she wore around her neck gleamed. _"You…seemed…worried…Skye…What…are your thoughts?"_

"This human shell." She growled. "It seems week, emotional. Her human soul is fighting for control."

"_Then…fight back…" _The Balkatar's eyes glowed green with the feline pupil displaying an oval shape. _"The Tigra…is in now in control…Always in control…"_

Skye's hand touched her pendant. "Why must I wear this?" She gritted her teeth. "It's rather bothersome."

"_The talisman…invokes the Tigra soul…You must wear it…in order to keep Tigra…into this plane of existence…Never take it off…"_

The hacker smiled as she stroked the pendant with her fingers. "I can sense you have another motive for summoning me. You wish for me to enact retribution." Her body sprouted with orange fur and black stripes. Her cat eyes replaced her human one as her ears became pointed and she grew a tail on her backside. She pushed out her claws and she growled through her sharp canines of her mouth. "What is it that you wish me to do?"

"_Three Reptoids are still alive…" _Flavius twisted his lips. _"I wish to…make them an example…to their Balkatar…Dr. Voelker…Kill them…"_

Tigra grinned. "With pleasure."


	7. Chapter 7

Grant Ward held the piece of concrete in his hand. It was supposed to be heavy, considering the twenty pounds of extra weight that was pressing against his palm but with his newfound powers, he easily lifted it like a pillow. He steadied his fingers, wrapped each digit around the stone and squeezed. Within seconds, the concrete cinder was reduced to dust.

"Fascinating." Jemma Simmons noted on her chart. "Superhuman strength similar to that of Captain America. All vital signs are showing superior health and physical prowess is at above maximum capacity levels. It looks like the ionic energies are cohabiting nicely with the patient's cellular structure."

"So does that mean I get a cookie?" Ward joked. He cracked a smile, hoping to ease the tension inside the lab but bio-chemist was having none of it. Even Fitz who was managing the electronic testing machinery refused to look at him.

Jemma's face turned completely serious. "Next test, Mr. Ward."

"You know you don't have to bottle up your feelings." He told the English girl. "I know you're still resent me after everything I've done. I don't blame you. I would be angry too."

Fitz stepped away from his computer to intervene. "Angry? Oh we're more than angry! We're furious and hurt that you betrayed us to H.Y.D.R.A.! I thought we were friends, Grant Ward! Now I don't know what we are! Just because we're forced to work together doesn't mean we have trust you or even like you! As far as the rest of team goes, we want you to stay as far away from us possible!"

Jemma agreed with her lab partner's statement and once again took a serious tone. "Please prepare for the next test, Mr. Ward." She grabbed a light piece of stone nearby and set it in the table. Ward sighed and stared at the object. "We're going to test the intensity of your ionic laser blast. Please concentrate all your power on the stone and will your beam to push it off the counter."

Ward shrugged, stared intently at the piece of rock, felt his power surge and shot small beam of red light from his eyes. The laser quickly struck the object, shoved it to the floor where it shattered into a million pieces. Jemma seemed impressed but she hid it well.

"Interesting." Her voice drolled as she jotted notes on her chart. "Patient exhibits strong concussive force ability. The strength of his laser focused solely through his eyes is still undetermined. Future observations shall provide more research in weeks to come."

Frustrated, Ward hoped to reach out of her and Fitz. "Are you going to continue to refer to me as patient or Mr. Ward? I mean how long are you going to hold a grudge?"

Fitz burned his eyes into the former agent. "Maybe it's escaped your memory that you dropped us in the middle of the ocean to die? It's hard not to hold a grudge when something like that happens!"

Ward exhaled. "Maybe I did it because I wanted to spare you from me killing you both?"

The engineer scoffed. "Are you kidding me?"

The former H.Y.D.R.A. operative continued. "John Garrett had control over me. My loyalty was to him alone. If he ordered me to murder someone, I did it without question including the kill-order that he had on you and Simmons."

"So you dropped the plane's escape hatch in order to save us? What a crock!"

"It's true. I only had two options. Shoot to kill or release the hatch and let you guys escape into the water. You and Simmons are geniuses. I knew you'd find a way to get back to the surface. I had to make it look like I carried out John's orders."

Jemma spoke up. "I have trouble believing that, Mr. Ward! You have no idea what Fitz and I had to go through to escape that hatch underwater. Fitz sacrificed getting decompression sickness in order for us to rescue ourselves from the ocean. He could've died. I'm sorry; Mr. Ward, but I no longer have any sympathy or compassion for you!"

"What about me?"

Agent Akela Amador waved to the pair of scientists from the treadmill where her bionic legs were sprinting at a speed of 90 mph. Fitz and Jemma walked over to the woman and checked out her vitals.

"Amazing." Jemma exclaimed in excitement. "Those nanomites are working incredibly with your limbs. The cybernetic technology mixed with the organic components of your bones and tissues are cooperating nicely. You're like a super robotic woman!"

Akela laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. Anything else I should know from these tests?"

Fitz checked the signature readings on the machines. "Pretty much that everything about you physically is in top form. Like Jemma said, you're at the peak of performance. Even with the cybernetic implants, the nanomites are responding well with your body's make-up, your epidermal layer looks and feels like human flesh so no one knows that you have a living computer inside of you."

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent smiled. "As long as I don't look like that guy from the Deathlok project, I'm good."

"You can never look the same as Mike Peterson." Fitz replied. "What John Garrett did to him is unspeakable. I hate to think what's happening to him right now."

"Sad," said Jemma. "He disappeared after he helped us capture Garrett. Skye told me he escaped and went into hiding. Hopefully, he's still on our side."

Just then, Agent Barbara Morse entered the lab. Dressed in the special gray and white jumpsuit created by Fitz and Jemma, she gestured to the pair and greeted them.

"How's our test subjects doing?" She asked the scientists.

"Ready and fully operational." Akela told the blonde operative. She turned off the treadmill and got off. Eyeing the suit, she paid the S.H.I.E.L.D. a compliment. "I like the duds. New uniform?"

"Thank Fitz and Simmons," said Morse. "They designed it. Plus, it's handy with concealing my batons and staffs. Agent May didn't want to wear it and since it was going to waste, I thought I'd give it a try."

"It suits you." Ward added as his eyes grazed her gorgeous athletic form. The gray and white costume fit her to a tee and displayed her best curves. It was like it was made for her.

Agent Morse thanked the man and then turned to the two scientists. "The new adjustments on Ward's protective bodywear? It's strong enough to control his ionic powers?"

"Absolutely," said Jemma. She pointed to his black and red jumpsuit. "The suit allows full mobility and Mr. Ward will him to access his ionic abilities during a battle. Plus, the Stark implant in his chest dampens the molecular structure from going atomic. He won't be a nuclear explosion waiting to happen now."

"That's good to hear." Barbara smiled. "Now let's retire to the meeting room. Agent Coulson is calling for a brief meeting.

The group headed to the meeting room of the plane as Agent May set the coordinates to auto-pilot. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents welcomed Agents Morse and Amador to their fold but kept a close eye on Ward who stood in the corner and observed. Despite the uneasiness of the atmosphere, Coulson played it cool and discussed their objective.

"We're going to land near D.C. where Commander Hill and her military will meet us so we can deliver our three prisoners to them. From there, she'll provide us as much information regarding Voelker's whereabouts and where his last appearances were. Hopefully, that will lead us to Skye so we can arrange a search and rescue. We'll go from there."

Ward decided to say something. "Agent Coulson, might I suggest something? Skye used to follow the money trail when she hacked into several of our previous suspects' accounts. From there we could find a connection and investigate any ties to their illegal activities. It might lead us to Skye."

Coulson frowned. "Though I admire your tenacity, Ward. You might realize that our team's hacker has been abducted. My priority is to get her back so your advice is not an option I'm willing to accept. As I said before, I'm only allowing you on this team as a courtesy to Agents Morse and Amador. Your feedback is no longer appreciated."

"But sir," Ward hoped to change his mind. "If only…"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader shouted. "WHAT IS GOING TO TAKE FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND? YOU ARE NOT AN AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. ANYMORE! THEREFORE, YOU ARE NOT A PART OF THIS TEAM!"

A vein almost popped out of Coulson's neck. He forced himself to calm down when Agent Morse gathered everyone and directed their attention to a monitor on the screen.

"Guys, I think you should see this. We have problem."

Displayed on the monitors, a huge crowd had gathered around the Washington Monument. Protestors, angry citizens, and news crews filled the area as Secretary of Defense and Maria Hill began holding a press conference in front. Then one of the journalists got on the screen and began broadcasting the live news coverage.

"_We are here live at the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. where moments ago the Secretary of Defense and the division's spokesperson Maria Hill just held a news conference discussing the tragic events of the Pentagon breakout that occurred one week prior to the current attack at Canada's Yoho National Park. According to reports, the same terrorist group with alleged ties to H.Y.D.R.A. orchestrated both events and putting some into question of the nation's ability to protecting the country from global national threats._

_Representative Hill has stated that three suspects have been apprehended by a Special Forces unit and will be delivering them here to this site. Spectators and protestors are waiting for them to arrive so that we may take a glimpse into the culprits involved in these current terrorist threats…"_

Agent Morse shut off the monitor and then turned to her fellow teammates with concern. Agent Coulson, especially, was particularly miffed.

"GET ME HILL ON THE LINE NOW!"

The Mockingbird immediately connected to Maria Hill's private line as the former Assistant Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. appeared on their screens.

Her voice sighed. "Agent Coulson, I can explain."

"The hell you can!" He yelled at her. "This was supposed to be a private trade-off. No spectacle. No getting the public involved!"

"I know." Maria shrugged. "My superiors are trying to take advantage of the election year. All Congressmen are using these terrorist attacks as a way of furthering their political campaigns. My hands were tied."

Coulson scratched his head. "How do you we explain to the public that the Special Forces unit is actually S.H.I.E.L.D. that is still operational under government suspension? Better yet, how about trying to tell the people that we're dealing with magical cats and lizard people?"

Maria shook her head. "We'll think of something. That's what PR firms are for. Look, just deliver the prisoners to us and our military will handle crowd control. Commander Hill out!"

The screen went black as a flustered Coulson addressed his team.

"This is getting out of control! I've got a teammate I'm trying to save and ancient civil war to stop! The last thing I need is getting the public involved in all of this!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Agent Morse asked the group's leader.

Coulson calmed himself again. "Agents Morse, Triplett, and May will escort the three prisoners over to Commander Hill as planned when we reach D.C. Fitz and Simmons will use our tech resources to ensure that there are no threats in the crowd. With the rest of the Serpent Society on the loose and the Felis wanting them dead, there might be chance for them to cause some trouble at this meeting."

Ward raised his hand. "And me, sir? What would you like me to do?"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader scowled. "Stay put." He gestured to Akela. "Agent Amador will supervise since you're still placed on a probationary period. Plus, it wouldn't look right when the Pentagon's reps see two of their escaped prisoners associated with us."

Ward protested. "But I could do so much more. I've got powers now."

"Don't test me, Ward!" Coulson spat. "You're still on my list! Agent Amador will babysit you and that's final!"

The former operative backed down.

"The rest of you have your orders." Coulson stated. "We'll gather again before he hit our rendezvous point. Is that clear?"

All agreed and the room separated except for Morse, Akela, and Ward. Saddened, the tall man folded his arms and sulked.

"They're never going to trust me."

Akela squeezed his shoulder and smiled. "Give them time, Ward. They will."

"I agree." Barbara added. "You might not believe in yourself, Grant Ward. But I do. That's why I recruited you. Everyone deserves a second chance."

Ward twisted his mouth. "That's the thing, Barbara. Am I worthy of one?"

The blonde woman stroked his hair and grinned. "Absolutely."

* * *

_The Washington Monument in Washington D. C._

Over a thousand people, including news crews, gathered around the historic government building as they waited and watched as a private van pulled up and out popped a brown haired man in a suit and sunglasses accompanied by a trio of covert operatives in militant uniforms. Agent May escorted Stacy X, Black Mamba, and Eel out of the vehicle as Agents Triplett and Morse, decked out in their specialized combatant suits, assisted Melinda with the prisoners and led them toward Commander Maria Hill and her large army of American soldiers.

"I thought the pomp and circumstance was a bit much but I guess your political aficionados are getting their money's worth." Coulson remarked as he watched the crowd displaying a mixture of curiosity, wonder, and rage. Behind the police barricade, many protestors held up signs with the words _GOD HATES TERRORISTS_ to _BURN IN HELL MUTANTS! _Stacy X noticed the latter and cringed.

"They really want to kill us, don't they?" She asked meekly.

Coulson exhaled. "They're just scared of what they don't understand." He reassured the frightened girl.

"Speak for yourself!" Stacy's older sister, Black Mamba, growled. She shook the Asgardian cuff clasped on her wrist next to the pair handcuffs she sported. "If I still had my powers, I'd make all them all pay! Lousy homo sapiens!"

"Tanya, hush!" Stacy called her sister by her real name. "Agent Coulson is offering to help us if we play our cards right." She glanced at the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader. "You are going to keep your promise? You're going to help me and my sister out?"

Coulson nodded. "Of course. Just cooperate with the authorities and your attorneys will assist you through the legal system."

"LIAR!" Eel spat as he overheard the conversation. The mercenary gritted his teeth. "He's a human! Dr. Voelker told us to never trust them or the Felis! It's the Reptoids who shall inherit the Earth!"

Maria Hill decided to crush his dreams. "You're delusional, Leopold Stryke."

The man called Eel sneered. "No one calls me by my slave name! I'm Eel!"

Putting her hands to her hips, the government spokeswoman rolled her eyes. "You can yourself Flotsam and Jetsam for all I care! You're under arrest for terrorist activities against the American government as well your international murder sprees." She had one of her army men push him toward his other comrades in preparation for transport to a highly guarded facility. "Hopefully, you can remain quiet for the rest of the trip."

Coulson flagged her down. "What about Stacy Xander-Sealy and her sister?"

Maria cracked a smile. "I managed to get in touch with that mutant activist and he's willing to take her in for his special school. As for Tanya, we have to let the justice system decide her fate."

"It's not her fault though!" Stacy tried to convince her. "She was manipulated by Dr. Voelker!"

The Black Mamba said nothing as Maria shrugged.

"There's nothing we can do. It was Tanya's decision to use her powers to murder the Pentagon guards. She'll have to answer for her crimes."

"But that's not fair!" Stacy shouted. Helplessly, she turned to Coulson. "It's not fair! It's not!"

Casting his eyes down, the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader had to look away. "I'm sorry, Stacy, but I have to go with Maria Hill on this one. She did murder several of the guards in cold blood!"

Tears filled the young mutant's eyes as she repeated her statement. "It's not fair! It's not fair!"

On the other side of the monument, the group's bus had been parked in a secluded area half a mile away from the huge media circus surrounding the trade-off. Fitz and Jemma monitored the area on the computer systems as a bored Grant Ward and his babysitter, Agent Amador, played a game of cards while the situation outside intensified.

"Got any sevens?" Akela asked the former agent through her deck.

"Go fish." Ward responded. He hated being cooped up in the plane but Coulson did not want him anywhere near the drop-off site. He observed the two scientists chatting away.

"Thermal scans seem relatively normal." Jemma noted. "No detection of strange anomalies in sight."

"The drones I sent out seem to agree with you, Jemma." Fitz grinned. "No threats in the vicinity according to our readings."

"Hopefully, it stays that way." The bio-chemist sighed. "I dread the idea of the Cat-People or the Reptoids making a move. Truthfully, these beast men scare me!"

Fitz gently put his hands on her shoulders and slowly massaged them. The young woman tossed her head back and enjoyed the feel of his fingers. "Don't worry, Jemma. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you." Their eyes locked for moment and both scientists blushed.

Ward noticed this and made a comment. "Oh just kiss each other already. You know you both want to!"

The pair suddenly stepped away from each other.

Fitz glared at his former comrade. "If I want your opinion, Mr. Ward, I'll ask for it!"

Jemma covered her face in embarrassment. Ward tossed up his hands in frustration.

"I'm just saying. I've known you two for a while and obviously there are some unresolved feelings there. You might want to explore them."

The English girl folded her arms and scowled at the traitor. "You mean like you and Skye?"

Taken aback by her remark, Ward brooded. "Touche."

Suddenly a weird blip sound came on the screen. Jemma rushed to her computer to analyze the data. "Thermal scans are coming up with another anomaly like they did at the Burgess Shale!"

Fitz, Ward, and Akela ran over to check it out.

"Fitz, can you get your drones to scan the crowd and show us various camera angles?" Ward asked the engineer.

"Don't order me around, Mr. Ward!" The Scot snapped. He stood up tall with confidence. "As a matter of fact, they can!" He tapped a few things on the keyboard and pulled up the monitors as each drone saw their perspective from the crowd of people.

Ward examined the footage before his eyes noticed a particular female figure moving through the crowd and heading toward the direction where Coulson and his agents were making the exchange with Maria Hill for the prisoners. The woman looked particular familiar as her dark hair had been pulled back into a large hat and she wore a long trench coat to conceal her appearance. Fixating his eyes on her, Ward watched as she neared the center where Coulson handed over the prisoners to the Commander before he pointed his finger at the screen.

"Check it out!" He told his teammates. "Doesn't that woman look familiar?"

"I'll enhance the camera." Fitz offered. His stroked a few more keys and increased the line visibility of the image. The engineer's mouth dropped. "Is that?"

Jemma put a hand to her chest. "I think it is."

"Skye." Ward whispered.

"What is she doing?" Akela wondered.

All four watched from the concealed jet as Skye removed her hat and trench coat to reveal a dark blue sports bra and matching bottom shorts underneath. A strange teardrop pendant choker wrapped around her neck as she padded in with bare feet toward Coulson and Hill. What happened next shocked everyone. Skye's physical transformation took place. No longer was she the sweet good natured human hacker. In her place stood a feral creature with orange fur and black stripes, wild untamed long hair, feline ears, glowing yellowish green eyes, and a moving long tail.

The Tigra exhibited her canine teeth and bared her sharp claws. She roared loudly to scare the crowd and lunged at the two S.H.I.E.L.D. associates.

* * *

Coulson slammed into Maria Hill as the thing darted in their direction. The pair hit the ground hard as the Commander and her army began shooting at the wild monster that was attacking them. Panic overtook the crowd. Screams of horror from seeing a horrifying creature leap in the middle of the Washington Monument Park, added with the sound of gunfire sent the entire area into chaos. People began pushing and shoving each other, trampling on those in front of them as they tried to escape the melee. The area immediately disbanded as everyone ran for cover.

More gunfire headed toward the creature's way. Tigra screeched upon being hit with flying bullets but even that did not deter her from completing her objective. The soldiers watched as the open wounds on the monster slowly starting healing up and each piece of the shell casings began to push from her orange fur and drop to the ground. Soon the men began to realize that their enemy was invulnerable.

Tigra roared. Her growl was menacing. She darted toward each soldier slashing and tearing away at each one until the victims fell to the ground like a pile of dominos. Maria Hill who had recovered from Agent Coulson's rescue quickly grabbed her gun and began shooting at the creature.

"FALL BACK!" She called to her fellow soldiers as they made a hasty retreat.

As usual, the bullets did nothing to harm the thing. Tigra roared and sped toward the prisoners as Agent Coulson realized who her intended targets were. He called out to his trio of teammates.

"It's going after the Reptoids!" He said to Agents May, Triplett, and Morse.

From her confines, Stacy X watched as some female Cat-Person sprinted toward her direction. She knew the thing met to kill her, her sister, and Eel. She screamed.

Tigra's mouth roared again. Flashing her claws, she leaped at the reptile minions. However, Agent Morse was there to block her way. Pulling out her batons, the Mockingbird connected the steel rods to make one long staff and prepared for the tiger woman to make her move. Tigra raised her hand, curled her fingers so that her sharp talons could slash her enemy and got ready to strike.

She did not succeed. Out of nowhere, Agent May jumped on the cat-woman's back, slipped her arms underneath her foe's shoulders and squeezed. The Tigra howled as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent try to immobilize her and instead opted to buck May off her back. She shook. She thrashed. Try as she might, the martial arts expert refused to release her grip off her. Attempting one more idea, Tigra spread her claws and decided to gouge her hitchhiker from behind.

She did not get the chance. The Mockingbird slammed her long metal staff into the tiger woman's face and knocked her back a few feet away from her kill-targets. Tigra collapsed to the ground but this time using May as her cushion. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent hit the floor hard; knocking her out unconscious as the cat-person quickly scrambled to her feet and faced Agent Morse again.

Shock appeared on Barbara's face as she watched through her specialized goggles noticed the thing advancing toward her. Preparing her staff, she charged and this time she meant to take out the creature for good. She was unsuccessful. She missed Tigra by an inch which allowed the cat-woman to backhand her with a good swipe of her paw. If not for the gray and white jumpsuit that protected her from the impact, the blonde agent would have been dead especially when she ate the pavement with a good hard thud.

Now with two foes out of the way, Tigra focused solely on Stacy X, Black Mamba, and Eel. She struck Eel first. Leopold Stryke's eyes went lifeless the moment by her claws embedded into his chest. Stacy and sister screamed as they watched their comrade bleed to death in front of them. Next, she targeted Stacy. Her canine teeth displayed a smile as she raised sharp talon into the air and slowly aimed it at her neck. The poor young woman shrieked.

Unfortunately, it would be Black Mamba that would fall prey to the Tigra's kill. Tanya Xander-Sealy hopped in front of her little sister. Her eyes pleaded for forgiveness as the open wound of her neck bled and her mouth bubbled into a flood of crimson. She toppled on top of her younger sibling as her lifeless body blanketed the now weeping girl. Stacy sobbed as her only living family member died next to her.

Tigra smirked in triumph. She listened to the poor woman's cries and felt nothing. Wrapping her hands around her throat, she forced her up and stared at her last victim.

"Don't cry little one." The cat-person taunted. She flashed a talon. "You're going to die with honor for the Felis."

With tears flowing and her sister's blood covering her, Stacy fought through her sadness. She sniffed and stared at the Tigra with rage and fury. "Go to hell!"

The Tigra grinned. She admired strength in her kills even if it was only a momentary sign of dignity. She lifted her sharp claws.

Then she howled. Shots of gunfire penetrated her skin. Even if her body had the power to heal, the impact still hurt like hell. She dropped Stacy and shifted her neck to see Antoine Triplett firing off a round of bullets at her.

"Get away from her, you bitch!" He shouted.

Tigra roared. She moved away from her distraught victim who dropped to her knees and went to attack the S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. Antoine fired again but even as his bullets entered her, it did very little in slowing her down. Instead, he dropped his gun, balled his fist, and tried some hand to hand combat maneuvers.

He missed. With each punch and kick he attempted to throw, the Tigra dodged every blow. She returned the favor by slicing through the thick Kevlar suit. Though she caused quite a bit of damage, it did very little in harming the man. Instead, she grabbed Antoine by the legs and arms and lifted him above her. That is when she heard the familiar voice of someone racing behind her.

"Skye! Drop him!"

Still clutching a helpless Triplett, she turned around to see recognizable face. He was tall, chiseled, and handsome. Dark hair and a brooding face made her swoon when she saw him and she experience this weird connection that she somehow knew the man in a way that intrigued and scared her. She tried to remember his name, his face but those memories became blocked by internal struggle of feelings that battled inside of her. Instead she growled.

"Why do you call me Skye?"

Grant Ward walked a few steps and stopped. "Because that's your name. Whatever these Cat-People did to you to make you look like that, I know that isn't you! You're under some kind of spell. Mind control!"

Agent Coulson and Maria Hill came rushing into the scene with their guns ready. The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader saw the tiger-woman and gasped.

"Skye!" His face turned white. "What did they do to you?"

Rage burned inside the cat-woman. "I AM NOT SKYE! I AM TIGRA!" He raised Triplett even higher. She then caught the scent of someone zooming past her. Her tiger eyes caught a woman moving very fast, carry a sobbing Stacy X in her arms, and run off into a safe distance away from her. Tigra bellowed as Agent Amador escaped with her intended kill. "NO! SHE'S MINE!" She shook Antoine's body as Ward came closer to her.

"Put him down now, Skye!" Ward pleaded. "Please. I know you're still in there somehow."

Memories began to flood back. She remembered kissing him. How his lips felt when he touched her and then the pain of losing him when he betrayed her. She tapped into that anguish and allowed the anger to bubble through. She roared. Pulling her arms back, she tossed Triplett toward the dark haired man and lunged at him.

Ward's ionic powers quickly caught a surprised Triplett in his arms. He gently set him down as Agents Coulson and Hill fired their guns to incapacitate a feral Skye. It was not working. The Tigra soul inside of her took over and attacked the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. With no other choice, Ward tapped into the ionic energies inside of him. He focused his attention toward the tiger woman and released the power. A huge concussive laser blast emitted from his eyes, slammed into the feline and sent her flying near hundred feet toward the wall of the Washington Monument building. Dazed and confused, the Tigra shook off the attack as an explosion rocked the area.

Up above, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watched as a high-tech chopper flew overhead. Piloting the helicopter was an auburn haired German villainess who dropped a series of bombs in the area. The operatives ran for cover as Baroness Heike offered a distraction for the Tigra to make her escape. Leaping high into the air, the Cat-Person grabbed a hold of the piece of the metal bar off of the copter's landing gear and quickly took off into the sky. Within minutes, the clouds concealed their whereabouts as they disappeared into the air.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents quickly recovered as emergency crews and paramedics rushed to the site. With the fires being extinguished from the explosions and the EMT's declaring Black Mambo and Eel dead, it had appeared that the group had lost this particular battle.

Agent Coulson turned to a concerned Maria Hill. "So what happens now? You've got two dead prisoners and another terrorist attack on U. S. soil." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "How are you political pundits going to spin this for the upcoming election?"

"It doesn't matter at this point." Hill clucked her tongue. "Just get your team ready and stop whatever this civil war is. You have the government's full backing."

Coulson's mouth dropped. "So you're saying that S.H.I.E.L.D. is reinstated?"

"Temporarily." Hill stated. "I'll deal with my superiors. You just do what you have to in order to stop this latest threat."

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader saluted. "With pleasure, Commander."

Maria Hill smiled. "Oh and Coulson?"

"Yes, Maria?"

She sighed. "I know this Tigra thing is your teammate Skye but ou do what you have to in order to bring her down. She's now a high level threat. You cannot waiver in your decision."

Coulson reluctantly nodded. "I'll put a bullet in her myself."

Maria nodded. "Good luck." She walked off to check on her fellow soldiers and attempted to do damage control with the media. Coulson shrugged and went to check on his other agents as Morse and May licked their wounds and Triplett thanked Ward for saving him. On the other side, Agent Amador consoled a sobbing Stacy X. However it was Ward he was most focused on. He walked over to the tall man.

"Hey Wonder Man!" Coulson greeted the former traitor. "Good job out there!"

Surprised by the compliment, Ward smiled. "Thank you, sir. It had to be done."

Coulson was not done. "Oh one more thing."

"Yes?"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader extended his hand.

"Welcome back to the team."


	8. Chapter 8

Jemma Simmons folded her arms and once again reviewed the video of the attack from one of Fitz's drones. Her mind reeled with disbelief.

"That can't be Skye!" She repeated to her teammates that were in the meeting room with her. "It can't be!"

Agent May sighed. "Unfortunately it is or rather this Tigra thing that Coulson had been talking about. These Cat-People completed the ritual and had that demon thing possess Skye's body. She's now a living weapon."

Fitz shook his head. "Skye wouldn't do this! She's not a killer! She didn't mean to murder Black Mamba and Eel deliberately!"

Coulson cast his eyes down before forcing them back up. He did not know what to say to his team. "Sadly, it is her. She's no longer Skye now. She's Tigra and she works for the Felis. If the Cat-People's Balkatar ordered her to kill two of Voelker's men, she would do it without question."

"It's about fierce loyalty." Ward added to the conversation. He frowned. "I should know. Garrett warped my mind into believing that in order to be a top soldier I needed to follow his direction at all costs including betraying everyone I cared about and learning to mask my emotions. Tigra is exactly like me. Lost, confused, and scared."

"Scared?" Antoine Triplett questioned. "I never known you to be scared of anything."

"I have many fears." Ward replied. "I've just learned to disguise them well. John taught me that fear is a weakness to which I've carried that philosophy in order to become a better agent. Instead, I've come to realize that weakness can also be my greatest strength. It makes me human."

Fitz clucked. "I don't believe that for second! For all we know, you using this whole _look at me, I've changed _ploy as another one of your ruses to fool us! I wouldn't trust you as far as I…"

"Fitz!" Coulson yelled. "That will be enough!" His voice calmed as the engineer backed off. "Grant Ward is now a part of this team! He saved Triplett and Stacy and the rest of our team! I trust him now so there will be no more petty accusations made about him! Is that clear?" His eyes glazed the scientist and everyone else in the meeting room.

"Of course, sir." The engineer said meekly. Everyone else reluctantly agreed.

Sitting a few feet away on the couch, a distraught Stacy Xander-Sealy was being comforted by Akela. The cyborg agent hugged the sobbing girl in her arms.

"I can't believe it…" she wept. "My sister…is dead…"

Akela stroked her back to soothe her pain. "There. There. It'll be alright."

"No…it won't be…" Stacy whimpered. "I…have no one…I'm alone…"

Overhearing the conversation, Coulson crossed over to the crying girl and wiped away her tears with his hand. "No, you're not." He reassured her. "You have friends here."

Stacy fought back the tears. "Why? Why haven't you turned me yet?"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader smiled and cupped her chin with his thumb. "You're still in danger. If the Felis sent a kill-order on you three, they will stop at nothing to ensure that the mission is carried out. You survived the attack so there's a good chance they'll try again. It's better if you're with us so we can protect you."

"Protect me?" The mutant girl frowned. "You've seen how powerful that Tigra thing is! It's only a matter of time before she finds me and finishes the job!"

"That's why we need you here with us." Coulson stated. "Trust me, you'll be safe here."

Stacy finished wiping away her tears. "Why do I do in the meantime?"

He grinned. "You can help provide us information. You know a little more about Voelker and his whereabouts. If we can get to him before the Felis do, we can help stop this impeding civil war."

The mutant girl exhaled. "I'm not going to be much help. Dr. Voelker had the Reptoids move around a lot. It was to ensure that no one could trace our location. The last known base was Baroness Heike's castle in Germany but we cleared that place out and waited for the next coordinates to meet at. Then he sent us on that Yoho Park mission and the rest you pretty much know what happened after that. I don't know where he's now hiding at."

"But you do know his hiding places?" Coulson asked.

"A few. I doubt he'd still be there."

"It's a start." He reached into his pocket and handed her a badge.

Stacy took it and examined the metal object. "What's this?"

"A S.H.I.E.L.D. badge." He said. "Welcome aboard. You're a temporary agent."

Her eyes opened wide. "What? What do you mean? You want me to work for you?"

Coulson grinned. "For a little bit. You have some information on Voelker and the Reptoids that might prove significant."

"But…but I'm the bad guy." She protested.

Coulson signaled to Ward to walk over to the girl. The tall man gently lifted the mutant's wrist to remove the magical cuff from her arm.

"Like I said before," the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader spoke up. "Agent Ward here is a part of our team and so are you. I believe you both deserve a second chance. Don't let me down."

"We won't, sir." Ward smiled.

"Sure." Stacy nodded. "But I want to request one thing, Agent Ward."

"Yes, Agent Stacy?" He addressed her properly.

The young woman hesitated before speaking. "When the time comes to stop the Tigra, I want to do it myself. I want to kill her for murdering my sister."

Coulson blinked. "I can't promise you that, Stacy. Depending on the circumstance, we'll have to see. That's all I can offer you."

She paused. "Then it's something I'll have to accept. However, I can't promise you that I won't kill her."

Ward listened and tried not interrupt. Deep down he knew the mutant girl was right. The Tigra was a murderous creature even if it was Skye inside. It needed to be stopped at all costs.

Agent Coulson sighed. "You'll do what you have to, Agent Stacy, just like we have to do what me just as well."

Barbara Morse decided to step in. "That's all well and good, Agent Coulson. However, we still don't have a lead of where to start searching for Dr. Voelker and his men. I might have been deep undercover with Reptoids but even then he was secretive about his whereabouts."

Ward offered a suggestion. "Skye was big on using the money trail to finding connections to our suspect's accounts. Maybe we should start there?"

"We could." Coulson responded. "However, if you haven't noticed our hacker is now gone and got turned into some wild, tiger monster. We're grasping at the straws here."

"Not quite." Agent Morse remarked. The blonde operative turned to Akela. "Agent Amador's cybernetic technology allows her to tap into machine and computer system. She can access the cyber realms and gather the information we need."

Akela raised her eyebrows. "How do I do that? I barely know how the nanomites work inside my body."

"Your right arm." The Mockingbird replied. "It has a flash drive cable that allows to you connect and communicate to any computer or machine."

"You mean she's a bio-organic technopath?" Jemma wondered with excitement. "That's brilliant!"

"What does that mean?" Antoine asked.

"It means she can talk to machines." Fitz explained. He led Agent Amador to their main computer station that created three dimensional holographic images and placed her right bionic hand over the device. A strange metallic tentacle slipped through her skin, slid down to the working module and connected the Ethernet line on the bottom side of the working instrument. Within seconds, flashes of memory appeared on the plane's monitors as Akela controlled the entire data at her fingertips.

"Whoa!" She said in surprise. "It's like I'm playing the slot machines in Vegas! There's so much information!"

"Focus." Agent Morse suggested. "We just need Dr. Voelker's current accounts."

Suddenly a flurry of multimillion dollar totals flashed across the screen. A long list starting from the top to the bottom filled the monitors.

Stacy saw this and remarked. "Damn! Dr. Voelker was loaded! Look how many international accounts he has!"

"Yeah," agreed Agent Triplett. "But they're all frozen by the international police." He pointed to the list. "See! His activities have already gotten him in hot water! He has no money to access!"

Then May noticed something. She directed their attention near the bottom. "Not quite. It turns out he has few million still active." Her finger stroked the screen to one particular line. "See this? It has multiple transactions recently from Paris to a Lonnie Lincoln."

The Mockingbird flinched. "Lonnie Lincoln? He's a mob boss from New York. S.H.I.E.L.D. once sent me undercover to take down one of his associates, a Russian drug czar. We arrested the cartel but Lonnie got away."

A light bulb went off in Stacy's head. "Come to think of it. I overheard Cobra mention something to Eel once about racketeering job involving an illegal fight club in Paris. Le Trou, I think it was called."

Akela heard this and began scouring online for any mention of the name. With seconds, she pulled up a private blog concerning Le Trou in Spanish. She broke through the security features and translated the words to English.

"_For those with special skills and unique abilities, come down to Le Trou along the Seine River. Located exactly Pont de la Tournelle bridge, there is a hidden underground grating system that leads to series of sewer tunnels beneath the city. There, you will meet the bounder Etienne who will then escort you toward the arena where for the right fee can place bets on the fighters inside the caged arena or they, themselves, can join in as a participant._

_Be forewarned. This is no ordinary fight club. The combatants are specially selected due to their one of a kind talents and superhuman feats of strength and dexterity. The only way a victor is determined is by killing the other opponent. Only the strongest survives in such a match so discretion is a necessity and word of mouth markets the event. This is not something for the faint of heart."_

She stopped reading.

Agent Morse interjected. "I've heard of this Le Trou. Roughly translated in French, it means the Hole which sounds to go with this whole underground fighting tournament. Nobody has seemed to locate its whereabouts."

"Until now." Akela added. "We have a city and a place. Now we just have to find the connection to Voelker."

"It's more than that." Morse replied. "From the rumors I've heard, Le Trou uses only gifted fighters. Opponents with special abilities. Mutants, scientific anonomalies…"

"Magical." Coulson finished her sentence. "This is exactly the sort of thing Voelker would be involved in. It wouldn't surprise me that he'd have his Reptoid men involved in this type of bloodsport."

"And if Lonnie Lincoln is involved with Voelker," said Barbara. "This can't be good. He began seeing the doctor for certain treatments from what our Intel has determined."

Coulson cocked his head. "What kind of treatments?"

"The same kind that helped created more of his Reptoid army and turned Ward into some kind of Wonder Man. He's trying to replicate the super soldier serum that created Captain America. Lonnie is trying to be an evil version of him."

May scowled. "Wonderful. We've got a superpowered drug lord and a couple of non-human fighters to handle at this fight club. We're way in over our head."

"Not if we play it right." Coulson suggested. "We go undercover as potential gamblers at Le Trou and submit our own set of fighters into the arena. This will give us time to search for Voelker and his men."

"But who is going to be the fighters?" Agent Triplett asked his superior. "May and I are human and even with the Kevlar jumpsuit, I won't be able to defend myself against someone superhuman."

Ward agreed. "Agent Amador and I are out as well. Even if we are most qualified to survive the match, Voelker and his men recognize will recognize us immediately. We won't be able to go in unnoticed."

Coulson had to admit he was right. Even if they infiltrated Le Trou, the Reptoids will immediately see through their disguises. He would not put his team at risk. Agent Morse raised up her hand.

"I know someone who we can volunteer as fighters. Actually, two people, in fact. They're superhuman and easily allow us access to the underground fight club. We'll have to stop by New York first to recruit them."

"Do you think they'll do it?" The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader asked.

"Of course," smiled Barbara. "They owe me a favor.

* * *

_Skye's legs buckled and she fell into the sand. The twine that held her wrists against the old decrepit tree finally gave way after her constant efforts of rubbing the cord repeatedly over the branch until it loosened. She was finally free._

_Forcing herself up, she darted along the sandy dunes but no matter where she turned she kept seeing the same set of old pyramids in the distance. She hated to admit it but she was running around in circles._

_Luckily though, there was no sign of the Tigra to imprison her again._

_The hot sun beat down. Bring in her hand to the level of her eyes, she saw a figure walking toward her. Dressed in a long cloak and flowing robes, it marched through the desert as the wind whipped through the tons of fabric the person was wearing. Skye hesitated for moment. She did not want to be fooled especially if there was a chance for the Tigra to return so she backed away and observed this mystery individual who slowly removed the hood covering his or her face._

_It turned out to be woman. A woman who bore a striking resemblance to Skye with the same dark hair and dark eyes but who looked older and glanced at with sadness glowing from the yellowish green tint of her pupils. She came closer and smiled._

"_Hello Skye."_

_There was a certain warmth to her grin. The hacker stared for moment and paused._

"_Who are you?"_

_The stranger giggled. "I think you already know that answer. My name is Helene. You've been searching for me for your whole life."_

_Skye already knew. She soaked in the woman's appearance, the radiance of her aura around her, and experienced the most heartfelt joy she long for._

"_Mom?"_

_She rushed to her birth mother's arms who embraced her close. Tears flowed through her eyes as she listened to stranger whisper and stroke her hair._

"_Welcome home, my beautiful girl."_

"_Are…you real?" Skye whimpered. "Am…I dreaming?"_

"_Yes and no." Her mother smiled. "It's difficult to explain." She gently pushed her away so that she could have a serious talk with her daughter. "Skye, listen. I don't have much time." Her clawed finger wiped away her tears. "Your father, Flavius, has become mad with power. He's corrupted the Felis and it's your duty to stop him."_

_Skye shook her head. "I don't understand. I don't understand any of this."_

"_Let me give you the abridged version." Helene offered. "This civil war between the Cat-People and Reptoids has gone for far too long. It's your duty as the guardian to ensure that this segregation between the Vala-Kuri must end. Our creator, Ebrok, has foretold of your coming and now it's your time."_

"_My time?" The hacker questioned. "My time for what? I don't know where I am, what I'm doing or why I'm here!"_

"_You're in the Realm of Souls." Helene explained. "The gateway where the division of s soul lie in wait to inhabit the chosen host and be called forth when the time is needed. The Tigra is a part of this world. As a cat-soul, she shares a part of you while still maintaining her feral nature. You are the human-soul, the part that is to ensure that the Tigra never loses all control and destroys humanity. That is where your destiny lies."_

"_But I'm too late!" Skye sobbed. "The Tigra has already taken control of my body! She's killed!"_

"_True." Helene said sadly. "However you can regain it back. The human-soul is much stronger than the cat-soul. The Vala-Kuri never anticipated the power of humanity's strength and courage and their ability to love and understand compassion. Humans will always be the envy of our kind. That's why they must be protected. My presence here, as well as Ebrok, is to ensure that we guide you along the right path. You are stronger than the Tigra. Use that and take back your power! Stop your father!"_

"_But Mom, how?"_

_Stroking her cheek, the Cat-person smiled. "With love, my dear. With love._

_Then she vanished._

* * *

_The Tibetan Monastery_

Skye woke up. Feeling the dimness of the morning caressing her human skin and face, she surprised to learn that she reverted back to her original herself and not her Tigra form. She heard the pitter patter of little feet as the maid came in to draw in the curtains and to allow the sun to come in. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she observed the strange woman with curly brunette hair and a sad face sweeping up before addressing her.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Mistress?" She asked the hacker. "Would you like your breakfast?"

Skye was not feeling hungry. "No. I'm good." The maid began to walk away but a ringing in the strange teardrop pendant that she wore told her that something was off. She grabbed the woman's arm. "Wait." A flood of painful memories burst through. The hacker could experience the frightened woman's anguish and pain as it burned into her soul. She forced her eyes up. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

The maid whimpered as a tear formed in her eye. "I…know…Mistress…It was not your doing…"

Releasing her arm, Skye stared at the maid. "What is your name?"

"Eleanor, Mistress." The maid muttered. "Just Eleanor."

"Eleanor," she began. "I truly am sorry. It wasn't me…"

A loud clap startled the maid. It came from Raina who wore a silver floral dress as she walked into the hacker's bedroom. "Eleanor, that will be quite enough!" She snapped. "You have more cleaning to do!"

The meek maid nodded and bowed. "Of course, Dr. Tumulo. My apologies." She scurried out of the room in a hurry.

"That was rude!" Skye snapped at the female doctor.

"Get use to it, Skye." Raina smirked. "The Felis are afraid of you."

The remark cut into the hacker. She clutched her pendant. "Is it because I'm this Tigra thing? It's not like I have choice in the matter. I'm supposed to be their guardian."

"No, dear." The woman in the flower dress grinned. "You're a god. The Tigra has existed for centuries and the Felis have worshipped her as their protector for a chosen female child to lead them. The Tigra spirit has chosen you. You should be grateful."

Skye balked. "Grateful? Flavius invokes that thing to possess my body so he can use me as a weapon against the Reptoids. I'm not exactly going to show gratitude for it!"

"It's not a matter of being grateful or not." Raina said calmly. "It's matter of doing what's right for your people."

"My people?" The young woman rolled her eyes. "I don't know them. Just because Flavius put this thing inside of me which is invoked by this pendant that I'm forced to wear," she clutched the necklace. "It doesn't mean I'm any closer to any of these Cat-People. I'm human and that's all that matters to me!"

Raina sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "Skye, I sympathize with your frustration. Before I knew what I truly was, I was lost. I always felt that I wasn't part of this world. Being human was only a mask that I wore and that my body and mind was meant to be elsewhere. I've searched the world trying to get my answers and I finally found it when I discovered the Felis. I'm a Cat-Person just like you and I'm willing to accept everything about this world that I was denied."

"Well you can have it!" Skye jumped off the bed. "No matter what Flavius or your people say, I'm human! I bleed, think, and love like one! I might not have full control over this Tigra inside of me but I damn sure will try!"

The woman in the flower dress stood up. "Deny it all you want, Skye. The Tigra is who you are. She chose you as its host and it is she who the Felis needs to protect them during this difficult war. I never understood that until I embraced my cat-side and see the hope that the Tigra brings to us. No matter what decisions our Balkatar makes, we will always side with the Tigra. I'm willing to sacrifice my life for that ideal as do the other members of our clan."

Skye snorted. "Was that the same belief you had when you sided with H.Y.D.R.A.'s Centipede project? Was that same reason you used to kill of Scorch and turn Mike Peterson into Deathlok?"

Raina averted her eyes. "I'll admit I've made some poor judgments but everything I did was to know who I truly was and where I belonged. I don't have any guilt over the decisions I've made."

The hacker refused to believe her. "Even if includes being a willing pawn for my evil father."

"I can't say if I agree with Flavius's actions but again I will always follow the Tigra." The woman also known as Dr. Tumulo stated. She directed her focus to the bedroom door. "Now get ready, your father wants to meet with you."

Skye rolled her eyes and put a pair jeans and t-shirt on. Within minutes, she followed Raina toward the monastery's large prayer hall where the Balkatar sat in his wheelchair and argued with the Baroness.

"You told me your people would be ready-abled soldiers!" The auburn haired woman shouted. "I need them now!"

Flavius lifted his disfigured hand and wheezed through his breathing apparatus. "_Patient, my dear… Heike. We first need to retrieve …the other half of the Ebrok seal."_

"Forget the seal!" The Baroness shrieked. "The longer it takes for H.Y.D.R.A. to regroup, the longer it takes for our enemies to force us into hiding. We shall not be silenced! We are H.Y.D.R.A.! Cut off its head and another will grow in its place, stronger and more cunning than the previous one!"

The Balkatar clucked. _"I'm well-versed in H.Y.D.R.A.'s…slogans. Again, I promised you an army of my Cat-People… if we retrieve the seal and destroy the Reptoids. Once we've accomplished this feat, then the Felis …shall be loyal followers of H.Y.D.R.A. I always…keep my word."_

"Make sure that you do!' The Baroness snapped. She began to march out of the room. "Don't cross me, Flavius! H.Y.D.R.A. is offering their connections and resources! The last thing you want to do is to betray us!"

Flavius managed to pull a smile through his grotesque face. _"Wouldn't…dream…of it."_

With the Baroness gone, Flavious could finally have some private time with his daughter.

"_You wanted to see me, Flavius?"_ Skye mumbled. Her reluctance showed her unwillingness to cooperate with his plans.

"_Yes,"_ the Balkatar informed her. _"Our contacts have… discovered the location of Voelker's possible appearance. Paris to be exact. I want you… to fly out there, forced him to give up the seal, and then… kill him."_

An untamed rage fought through Skye's core. She screamed as the energy inside her constantly kept pushing through. She tried to battle back but it was too late. Her skin had turned orange, her hair grew wild while her ears pointed up. Black stripes decorated her body as her mouth bore a pair of canine teeth and her nails sprouted into sharp talons. She roared as she exhibited her canine teeth and claws as she bowed down in front of the disfigured older gentleman.

"What is it you wish of me?" Tigra growled.

"_Get me…the other half of the Ebrok seal."_ Flavius instructed. _"In Paris."_

"Done."

Flavius could not be more content.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hell's Kitchen_

_New York City_

Bowman's Gym lies on the lower eastside of the urban landscape, several blocks away from Manhattan. After the gentrification of the area, Clinton and Midtown West has seen a resurgence of middle and upper class families moving in and completely turning the once hopeless region into a beautiful metropolitan neighborhood.

The agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. noticed it too as they walked into the establishment and observed several patrons working out and a private fighting match occurring in the ring nearby. A crowd had gathered outside the platform as a young, handsome blond man of average height and wearing a green martial arts uniform jogged in place while his opponent, a morbidly obese tall man in boxing shorts, cracked his knuckles. In the corner behind the shorter fighter, a good looking, muscular bearded African American man in sweats and a beanie, cheered him on.

"Come on Danny! You got this!"

The huge combatant snorted. "Give up now, kid! Unless, you want me to squash you!"

Danny grinned. "I'll take my chances, fatso!"

His remark enraged the Blob. The large fighter made a grab for the young man. Danny ducked, slid across the floor of ring, and landed his first punch into his opponent's stomach. What would have been a victory turned out to be nightmare. Danny's fist slammed into what appeared to be gelatin. The Blob absorbed the impact, trapping the fighter's hand and fist into the folds of belly skin, and kept him in place. Then with a large smack of the back of his hand, the huge brute sent the young man flying back toward the ropes. His coach ran toward him to check if he was okay.

"Danny, you doing alright?"

The blond boy shook his head from side to side. Even with his cheek throbbing from the Blob's smack down, he managed to get his mind back to full senses.

"Yeah, a little dazed but this time I'm ready for him." He told his coach. Standing up off the ropes, he spread his legs and crouched into a fighting stance.

The Blob laughed. "Little Boy Bootlicker wants another beat down!" He taunted him. His face turned to the crowd. "I say we give it to him!" He cracked his knuckles again, motivated by the adulation of the audience, and marched toward Danny. Raising his hard fist in the air, he got ready to pound the young man into the ring for good. However, this time his opponent was more than prepared.

Danny somersaulted forward. The Blob's hand missed him and struck the floor of the ring, causing it to shake. The tremor was so strong that even the coach was thrown off it and he hit the ground and watched as some of the platform's attachment poles and ropes start to break apart. Undeterred, the Blob struck again and attempted another punch at Danny. The blond man flipped through the air, landed on the swollen arm of his enemy, and with a raised fist that emitted a strange eerie glow landed a punch to the triple chin of the Blob.

The morbidly obese man did not know what hit him. His tremendous body mass flew through the ropes, rolled off of the ring's platform, and landed with a huge thud across the wooden flooring, creating several holes and new cracks to form on the ground. Bystanders raced to check on the man and were relieved to know that he was not dead but simply knocked out cold. The gym broke out into cheers and applause as money was exchanged between the coach and patrons as Danny and his partner relished in collecting their winnings.

Once the crowd had disbursed, Agent Coulson, accompanied by Agents May, Morse, Amador, and Triplett, approached the two men. The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader noticed Danny's strange glowing hand suddenly dissipate and return to normal.

"That's some right hook." He told the boy.

"Thanks." Danny smiled. "It's an old kung-fu technique that I learned from my Master."

"Does it involve your hand glowing?"

The young man took offense. "That's none of your business!" He hid his fist behind his back before his eyes noticed a beautiful Agent Amador staring at him. He smiled back. "If you're curious to know about my fighting skills, then I'll gladly offer a demonstration." His face gestured to Akela who blushed. He purred. "I give private lessons."

Agent Morse stepped in. "Oh, Mr. Rand. The ever consummate womanizer." She turned to his coach. "You too, Luke!"

Standing next to Danny, the coach quickly recognized the Mockingbird. "Barbara!" He squealed with delight. The pair hugged and kissed each other on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on a case." She told the man. She introduced her team starting with their leader. "Agents Coulson, May, Amador, and Triplett, please meet my dearest friends Danny Rand and Carl Lucas, better known as…"

"Iron Fist and Luke Cage!" Triplett gushed like a fangirl. "Are you freaking kidding me? You're talking to one of the most well-known fighters on the MMA circuit! I saw you guys win a match for the U. S. in Germany! You two were awesome!"

Luke Cage giggled. "Well, I'm semi-retired now. I now train Danny here and we got a match in Japan in a couple months." He glanced at Barbara. "So what bring you to our neck of the woods?"

The Mockingbird bit her lip. "Well, it's like this, you see. Uh…I'm working on a mission where I need two capable fighters to compete in the Le Trou…."

Luke threw up his hands and backed away. "Whoa! No way, Morse! We might be pals, but I'm not getting involved with anymore illegal dealings! I've done my time in prison! Besides, my girlfriend and I are expecting baby at the end of this year! I'm completely legit!"

Barbara gasped. "You and Jessica? Congrats! How she doing by the way?"

"Really good." He said with pride. "Her private detective agency is flourishing and she's picking up some paralegal work for an attorney friend of ours. Things can't be better." Then his face changed. "That's why I can't go any crazy mission schemes of yours. I've got a kid and my baby's mama to support. I want to be alive to see it all happen."

Agent Morse exhaled. "I understand. I just thought you might want to know it involves Seth Voelker."

Luke's mouth curled. "Dr. Voelker is a part of this? What's going on?"

Coulson interrupted their pair's conversation. "How do you know Dr. Voelker?"

The coach folded his arms and stared at the group's leader. "Back when I was in prison serving a crime that I was framed for, I finally got for good behavior but the stigma of being a convict made it difficult for me to get accepted for any job. I answered an ad for Dr. Voelker's pharmaceutical factory in South America and I thought I'd make a little extra money crossing the border and hopefully starting a new life. Boy, was I ever wrong!"

"What happened?"

"It turns out Voelker was some mad scientist type. He wanted to create a master race or some form of it. He tricked me into participating in some super soldier experiment like they did on Captain America. All the test subjects died except for me. I was given enhanced strength, speed, and dexterity but only at smaller degree than the original Captain. Voelker kept me prisoner at the facility so he could use me as a weapon and hopefully clone my blood to create more soldiers. Luckily, S.H.I.E.L.D. broke me out."

May interjected. "I was one of the agents that led the raid on that mission. We freed the prisoners but none of them exhibited signs of carrying the super soldier serum. How is it that we never found you?"

Barbara answered her question. "That's because I got to him first." She pointed to Danny. "I recruited Danny through one my connections and he helped me break out Carl. I knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was going after the facility so I let them finish their objective while I assisted in helping him escape. I procured him a new alias, Luke Cage, and together they've helped me on several covert missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. that had been privately funded and set up by Colonel Fury. In order to go undercover as one of Voelker's employees, I released the pair from their duties and they've been immersed in civilian life ever since."

"That explains the MMA occupation." Antoine Triplett remarked. "No wonder you guys were too good in your matches. You're superhuman! You're cheating!"

"Shhh." Danny Rand put a finger to his lips. "Not so loud! The MMA fights are our bread and butter! How else is anybody with our skill set going to make a living?"

Curiosity still crept inside Coulson's head. "That still doesn't explain your glowing hand trick."

Agent May explained. "It's called chi. It's a powerful energy that is housed innately in the body. When focused correctly, it can be summoned by its wielder and can be used as a powerful offensive force during battle. Only a few martial artists have been able to master it. Judging by your green robes and symbolic markings on your uniform, you're a student of the mystical city of K'un-L'un and observing your fighting style, you've been apprenticed by the legendary ancient master Lei Kung, haven't you?"

Danny nodded. "Yes but how do you know about that?"

May smiled. "I've been studying the martial arts ever since I could walk. I've learned about the legendary cities and the various techniques applied by the great fighting teachers. Lei Kung and K'un-L'un have always been of a great interest of mine, thought I never achieved the power of the full chi to call forth its power."

The young man rolled his eyes. "Trust me; it's a pain in the ass. I had to fight a magical dragon to harness this gift and then there's the overwhelming fatigue and weakness that I experience after using too much of it. It's more like a curse than a blessing."

Triplett scratched his head. "Dragons? Magic? Mystical cities? I'm trying really hard to take in this whole thing."

Akela grinned. "Well, we already know about Reptoids and Cat-People. At this point, our belief system should include everything."

"You better believe it, baby!" Danny cooed at the female agent. Once again, Akela turned crimson. Agent Morse stopped the weirdness between them and returned to their previous conversation.

"As I was saying," she said to Luke and Iron Fist. "We suspect that Voelker is in Paris and involved with Le Trou. Our plan is to infiltrate the tournament to capture him. We need some specialized agents to go undercover as possible contestants so we can go in and make the arrest."

Luke groaned. "We're talking Le Trou here! Every MMA and UFC fighter has heard the rumors about this place. It's a bloodsport! Only one person walks away alive! No way am I jeopardizing my life or Danny's by entering it!"

"I know." Barbara sighed. "And I wouldn't want to endanger you both if I wasn't desperate. Look, we all know Voelker is bad news but this situation is beyond a simple arresting a known criminal. We're talking magical civil war here between some magical Cat-People and some scaly skinned individuals."

"The Felis and the Reptoids." Danny whispered. All eyes focused on him.

"How do you know about them?" Coulson questioned him.

"The K'un-L'un use to have peace treaty with the Felis." He informed them. "Some of their Cat-People came to us as students and, in return, they offered their assistance and protection. However, in recent years, their Balkatar named Flavius became corrupt and forced them to distance themselves from our sect. It was really sad. Many of them I considered a friend. Anyway, they told stories about their ancient war and their loathing of the Reptoids. Our ancient masters had great sympathy for them."

"Well the war is bubbling to the service." The Mockingbird told the pair. "The terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the assault one of the Canadian national parks were part of this conflict. Pretty soon all humans would be placed as casualties at the forefront."

Luke cocked his head. "You mean that stuff on the news was part of this civil war thing? Voelker is involved in this as well?"

Barbara nodded. "Exactly. That's why I'm asking for your assistance. You and Danny can help me end this before it gets out of control. Think of Jessica, your son or daughter who is about to born. Do you want them to be caught in this impending conflict?"

The coach thought about it for a moment. He pulled his protégé to the side and discussed it in private before returning to face the S.H.I.E.L.D. team. "Okay, Danny and I discussed it and we'll help you out."

The Mockingbird clapped her hands in excitement. "Thank you!"

However, Luke waved a finger. "Only there are some stipulations. First, Danny and I need some financial compensation. If we're risking our lives, then we should be able to be given a huge paycheck for our troubles. Second, we go in, we arrest Voelker, and we get out. No one is left behind and no one gets hurt or killed. Lastly, once this mission is over, Danny and I return to our regular, boring normal lives. No more jet setting around the world. No more trying to stop the bad guys. We like civilian hood and we're going to keep it that way. Do we have a deal?" He offered his hand.

Coulson accepted and shook it. "Deal. Welcome aboard. I'll contact Commander Hill and we'll ensure that you're more that financially compensated for your troubles. Thank you for doing this."

Luke shrugged. "Thank Blondie over there!" He pointed to the Mockingbird. "She makes a convincing argument! She should quit the superheroics and go out for politics!"

Barbara Morse shook her head. "No way! There are way too many villains running for office!"

* * *

_Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean_

The plane hit a bit of turbulence but everyone aboard was more nervous about their plan of attack then the unstable air currents. Agent May piloted through the last of the atmospheric tremors and made an announcement to her comrades on the jet's speakers.

"_We will be landing in Paris in two hours."_

Back inside the lounge area, Stacy X. stared at her deck of cards and watched as Agents Ward, Triplett, Fitz, and Simmons intently glanced at theirs. She then turned to Fitz.

"Got any spades?"

"Go fish!" Fitz giggled.

The mutant began gathering more cards from the deck as Agents Morse and Amador began to emerge from one of the sleeping quarters in full make-up and hair.

"Tada!" Barbara laughed. "Introducing America's Next Top Models!" All the men in the room drooled. The women looked radiant. Akela's hair was sophisticatedly styled with a row of dark curls as the cosmetics she wore complimented her face and complexion. Barbara opted for a short curly blonde wig and she wore tons of war-paint that displayed a European vibe. Both women were ready to play their undercover roles.

Danny Rand, a.k.a. Iron Fist, especially admired Akela's new look as his eyes stood transfixed on her. Even his friend, Luke Cage, had to agree. The bionic S.H.I.E.L.D. looked nothing like her previous visage. Akela saunted to the martial artist.

"Well, what do you think?" She spun around him.

"Hubba hubba." Danny commented. He could not take his eyes off her. He finally got the courage to ask her something. "Agent Amador, once we're through with this Paris mission…Do you think you and I could…"

Akela purred. "Mr. Rand, are you asking me out?"

The Iron Fist shrugged. "Am I that obvious?"

She giggled at his remark. "Sure. We'll plan something."

The two stared at each other for moment completely lost in each other's eyes as Coulson ignored their exchange and directed his attention to Morse.

"You sure this going to work?" He asked her.

"Le Trou's audience are full of criminals and mobsters." The Mockingbird explained. "Going in as female relative of well-known Russian mob family should help. I'll bring Akela and the other ladies in as our working girls. Le Trou is well known for attracting highly paid escorts. Plus, whatever other options do we have? We have to introduce Luke and Danny as our sponsored fighters."

"True," said Coulson. "But you need a third. I've done the research and the tournament requires one more."

Ward volunteered. "I'll do it!"

Coulson shook his head. "No. Voelker and his men already know you. They'll recognize you the moment you walk in the arena door."

"Not if we put a disguise on him." Barbara suggested. "Akela and the other girls will be dressed up so why not Agent Ward? I could put on a fake mustache or thick beard on his face. The organizers won't know the difference."

Ward agreed. "Please, sir." He said to Coulson. "I have superpowers like Luke and Danny. I can easily slip in while the rest get Voelker out. I'm more than qualified."

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Fine. Make sure you stay with the team and help them out in the arena. The fighters are trained to kill so make sure you to protect your fellow men."

Ward gave him the thumbs up. "You got it."

"One more thing." The Mockingbird continued. "The tournament is going to be held the following day after we arrive. I booked us a hotel close to our location. We're going to have to use new aliases so that our enemies don't know we've landed in Paris." She pulled out a leather briefcase and opened it to reveal several important documents. "We have your new passports, I.D.'s, and credit and ATM cards with your new names printed on them. We don't want Voelker trying to locate us."

Ward began first and checked his passport. "Simon Williams? My name is Simon Williams?"

Jemma and Fitz grabbed theirs. Fitz laughed at his.

"Conal Cochran? Isn't he a character on one of those Halloween horror sequels?"

"At least yours sounds Scottish," Jemma groaned. "I'm playing a prostitute named Trixie VanAllen.

Luke and Danny grabbed theirs and frowned when they saw their names.

"Why aren't our names changed?" The Iron Fist asked the Mockingbird.

"You're too recognizable." She told the duo. "Plus, with your celebrity titles tied to the MMA world, they'll easily let you in to compete in the tournament. We need that leverage."

Luke sighed. "Let's just hope this crazy plan of your works, Blondie."

"It will." The agent smiled.

Antoine grabbed his from the suitcase. "Dwayne Taylor. Cool." He seemed impressed by his name. However, Agent Akela Amador was not.

She shook her passport angrily at Barbara. "Misty Knight? My name is Misty Knight? I sound like a porno star!"

Antoine scratched his head. "I think there is a porno actress that actually has that name."

"Oh shut it, Triplett!" Akela snapped at him. She glared at Barbara. "Couldn't you have given a more unique name like Noxzema Jackson?"

"You're playing a high class hooker!" Barbara clucked. "Get over it!"

Akela shook her head. He turned to Coulson. "What do you get?"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader exhaled. "I'm playing your pimp. My alias is Howard "The Duck" Lipschitz. I hate to think how Agent Morse came up with that name." His eyes glanced at the other passport in his hand. "I know for a fact that Agent May is not going to like hers."

Speaking her name, Melinda's voice came on the speaker.

"_Landing in Paris in one hour."_

"What did she get?" Antoine asked with curiosity.

Taking a deep breath Coulson, answered.

"Chun-Li."


	10. Chapter 10

Akela wanted to try it again. Since transforming into a cybernetic machine, she discovered talking to computers as a technopath was rather thrilling. It intrigued her. She stole away a moment from her fellow operatives, entered Fitz's and Simmon's lab and placed her right arm over the plane's main cyber system. Within seconds, a metal tubing from her skin connected to the outlet and she began hacking into the system.

She saw it all. Accounts, government files, military secrets, and Wall Street performing some inside stock trading activities, she was not impressed. She had to admit though that the actually hacking did give her a natural high. She focused her attention to Voelker's accounts and went through his private files just as Grant Ward entered the room and observed his teammate doing some research.

"What's going on?" He asked her.

"I'm hacking into Voelker's private active accounts to see if I can find any recent transactions." She told him. Pausing for a moment, she brought up the computer screen monitors and displayed an image. "Does the name Mary Sue Poots ring a bell?"

Ward's eyes widened. "That's Skye's foster name!"

"Well she checked into a Parisan hotel close to where a Klaus Voorhees is staying at."

"That's Cobra!" Ward stated. "She's going after Cobra!"

"We better tell the team." Akela advised.

The tall agent disagreed. "Not just yet. I want to get to her as soon as we land in Paris."

"Why?" Agent Amador asked.

"I want this to be my mission." Ward explained. "I want to go undercover and prevent Skye from performing another kill. I want to convince her to come back to us."

"But she's been brainwashed by the Cat-People." Akela noted. "The Tigra spirit inside of her has taken over. You saw what she did to Black Mamba and Eel. She's a liability."

Ward shook her head. "I don't believe that. I know Skye is still in there. I just have to reach out to her and make her understand who and what she truly is."

"She's a killer, Ward!" Akela argued. "A wild animal and she needs to be put down."

"Agent Amador, please!" He begged. "Just give a couple minutes with her. I'm sure I convinced her to return to the right side!"

The experienced operative hesitated and sighed. "Fine, Ward. I won't say anything but the moment this all goes wrong, I'm notifying Coulson."

"Agreed." Ward nodded. "Thanks for doing this, Akela."

"I hope you're right, Ward." She sighed. "I hope you can get Skye back."

"Me too." He said sadly.

* * *

_Paris, France_

Built around 1910 during the Belle Epoque, the Hotel Paris France has served many visitors for nearly a century. Located in the city's majestic business and shopping district, the stone establishment has greeted guests and tourists as they pass the eight level building. It is the also best spot for a working girl to meet up with a client.

Klaus Voorhees slicked back what was left of his receding hairline as he glanced one more time in the elevator mirror and readjusted the tie of his expensive suit. The Reptoid reverted back to his human form and looked completely normal as observed in the reflection staring back at him. He was tall, had a rough square face that showed signs of needing a good shave, and his eyes, that once bore the tiny slit of a lizard in the pupils, now appeared normal and brown. Today was his day off and thankfully Dr. Voelker left him to his own devices for the duration of the day and he wanted to celebrate it in the company of a beautiful woman.

To be truthful, Klaus loved women. Certainly, he was an in-demand mercenary and hitman but even hired killers needed a break every once in a while. For him, his outlet was women. He enjoyed their company especially the physical connection and if it involved monetary compensation, he was willing to pay for it.

The elevator doors opened. Crossing into the bar, he talked with the host who led him toward the counter where a beautiful woman was sitting. She had long dark hair that fell behind her shoulders, dark eyes, and wore a revealing red dress that showed just enough skin to get him excited. He ordered a glass of whiskey and sat next to her.

"Miss Nelson?" He greeted as he took a sip of his drink. His eyes notice the beautiful teardrop pendant around her neck.

"Just Greer," she purred. "Miss Nelson is too formal. Please call me Greer."

"Greer." Klaus smiled. "The agency said you were the best."

She leaned in and gave him a seductive grin. "I'm a legend."

Her remark intrigued him. He wanted to know if her skills were indeed legendary. Stopping with the formalities, he went for the direct approach. "So, how much? One thousand?"

"Five thousand."

Klaus balked. "Five thousand? That's a little steep."

She placed a hand on his lap and squeezed his thigh. "I'm worth every penny."

The Cobra could not wait. He quickly downed his drink, paid for it, and grabbed her hand. Immediately, the two raced out of the bar and into the elevator. Greer's high heels dragged along the carpet, leaving a scuff mark as Klaus shoved her inside the lift and slammed her against the wall. She giggled in response and wrapped her arms around him, welcoming her body and allowing his strong limbs to entwine around her. Then he captured her with his mouth.

The kiss, to say the least, was awkward. Klaus mouth fumbled for a bit and Greer tried to keep up as he slobbered all over lips and salivated a large spittle of drool with his forked tongue. The working girl sighed, allowed him to finish kissing her as he led her away from the elevator and on to the top floor where his suite awaited them. He cut off the kiss for moment to fish out his keys from pocket.

Once the door opened, he pulled her inside and locked it behind her. Again, he awkwardly kissed her again and allowed his hands to wander. His fingers had gotten close to derriere when a sharp pain came across his mouth. He yelped, jumped back and touched his lips. He was bleeding.

Greer stared at him with a half-smirk.

"You bit me!" Klaus exclaimed. He watched as his companion laughed. Anger rose inside of him. "So you like to play rough, huh?" He marched toward the woman and slapped her hard.

To his surprise, Greer Nelson did not flinch. Instead, she moved her head toward him and grinned wickedly.

"What are you smiling at, bitch?" He hissed.

"You, dead man!" She spat. Her eyes turned a bright greenish yellow with a thin oval in the pupils while she bore a set of canine and teeth and claws. Klaus Voorhees noticed it and snarled.

"You're a Cat-Person! A Felis!"

"No!" She growled. "I'm the Tigra!" Immediately, she sprouted orange fur with black stripes as her tail formed from behind her red dress. She kicked off her high heels, which by now showed sharp nails extracting from her bare feet. Hunkering down, she lunged at the Reptoid.

Klaus was more than ready. He too transformed from human to reptile with his beige skin and platelet scales covering his face. His slit yellow eyes glowed in front of the Tigra and he leaped out of her path as she tried to claw him with her talons.

The Tigra landed on all fours. Cobra took this time to attack. Whipping out his forked tongue, he ensnared the cat-woman's wrist and yanked her toward the dresser on the other side of the room. Tigra slammed against the mirror, cracking each piece of glass while shards of the reflective service embedded against her neck and back. She hollered but then each piece of the shattered surface began to chip away and fall to the carpet. Her skin pushed out each of the shards and her body immediately started healing.

However, Cobra was not done with her yet. With his tongue still wrapped around her wrist, he pulled her forward and tossed her like a rag doll toward the lamp and nightstand by his bed. Tigra's body felt the impact hard as she broke the piece of furniture with her body. The Reptoid meant to bruise her badly until she was dead but the feline woman was having none of it.

Coming to her senses, she curled her fingers until the index and middle fingers reached around the tongue attached to her arm. Then with her sharp talons, she sliced through the bit of cartilage, forcing Cobra to retract his bleeding tongue back into his mouth. He screamed at the pain.

"Youf…bitfch! Youth cuth offth my tongufe!"

Blood dripped across her claws as she licked the scarlet liquid to taunt him. "What's a matter? Cat got your tongue?" She cackled as she pulled apart the torn pieces of his remaining appendage on her wrist.

His mouth drenched in blood, Cobra roared. He pounded his chest and darted toward the cat-woman. Tigra struck back. She sliced and swiped with her claws but the Reptoid was a much more worthy adversary. He grabbed her wrists before she could do any real damage and raced at her body at full speed. The pair collided against the barrier, crashing through the plaster into the next room and, in turn, tumbled to the floor in front of a pair old frightened married couple who were on holiday. They saw the two creatures wrestling and screamed.

"GETF OUTH!" Cobra yelled at them. The married duo grabbed each other and raced out of their suite as the Reptoid and Felis continued to battle it out right there in the room.

Cobra got the first blow. His brute strength proved advantageous as he struck Tigra in the jaw and sent her back to the floor. Seeing her moving tail, the mercenary grabbed the flexible appendage and yanked her hard and once again slammed her against the nearby wall and finished the job by tossing toward the ceiling and back again down on the ground. With the wind knocked out of her, Tigra took a minute to breathe but her enemy was faster as he kicked her face with his foot and pressed her head against the floor with his shoe.

"I'mfth goingth to enjoy squasfhing youth likfe a bugf!" He laughed. Tigra felt the weight of his foot pressing her face even further into the hotel floor so she knew she had to act fast.

Lifting her arm, she brought her claws forward. The sharp talons raked through his pant leg, ripped through the tendon of his scaly ankle and sent Cobra into an immeasurable pain of anguish. He grabbed his wounded ankle and limped back.

This gave time for her to strike. Jumping into the air, she landed a kick with both feet into the reptile man. Cobra flew back, struck the back of his head against the room's dresser and lay sprawled as the furniture collapsed underneath him. He made an attempt to get back up but Tigra sprinted on top of him. With her claws raised and her sharp teeth bared, she attacked.

Echoes of Cobra's screams filled the room as the sickening sounds of flesh tearing and blood splattering the walls could be heard. In a few minutes, the howling cries died out and so did the Serpent Society member. Tigra tossed back her head and grinned with a bloody smile plastered across her face. She had succeeded in her objective in killing Klaus Voorhees.

The door of the room suddenly burst open. A tall, dark haired man in a black jumpsuit with a red W insignia raced in with his gun pointed at her. She observed him with curiosity.

"Hands behind your head!" Agent Ward instructed the cat-woman.

Tigra laughed. "Looks like it's a good time for you to die today."

With his hands still steady and clutching his pistol, Ward eyes looked away from Tigra to the mutilated corpse of Cobra lying dead and bloody on a piece of destroyed furniture. "Good God, Skye. What have you done?"

Tigra sneered. "Skye's gone. It's only Tigra now." She growled as she got on all fours and crawled toward Ward.

Putting his gun away, he decided to use his words to reason with the woman. "Skye, listen, please. This isn't you."

Tigra giggled. "Oh, this is exactly me." She swept her foot, kicking Ward's leg from under him and caused him to fall backward against the floor. She then proceeded to hop on top him and straddle his chest until he was unable to move. A sharp claw tore through the jumpsuit, revealing his muscular bare pecs to which she caressed with an orange finger across the curves of his body until she reached the W-shaped scar over his heart. "What's this?" She asked with morbid fascination.

"An ionic control implant." He gulped. "The molecular structure of my body is unstable so they put the device inside of me to ensure that I don't go nuclear."

"So you're a prisoner of your own device too?" She asked sadly. Her glowing green eyes glanced at her pendant and slowly her orange skin became human until she looked like normal Skye again. Ward looked at her unmoving. She still had the same innocent eyes and ethereal face that he remembered.

"Skye, you have to stop this!" He said. "You're killing people! That's not you! It's the cat-spirit! It's controlling you!"

Tears filled her eyes. "I can't help it. The Tigra is too strong! When she's in possession of me, I can't control her! I can't fight her! I've killed! There's no going back after that!"

His head leaned in. "You have to! I can help. The team gave me a second chance. I want to do the same for you! Leave here now with me and come back to us!"

Her hand caressed his face. "It's not that easy, Ward. The Felis have a hold over me just like the Tigra does. They won't let me get me go!"

He reached up his hands to clutch her face. "No. You're not going anywhere. You're staying with me!"

"Ward…" She wept. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because Skye, I…" His voice started to say his reasons but he just could not. Instead, he showed her. Cupping her chin, he brought her face down to his. Their lips connected. Fire and electricity flowed through that kiss as everything that transpired between them from the betrayals, mistrust, and killings all went away and the only thing that matter was the two of them there together. Ward embraced her close and the hacker refused to let him go but she knew she had to.

Her mouth moved away from his as her eyes streaked with tears. "I'm sorry, Ward. I can't…I can't…"

She got off of him as she stood up on her feet. Agent Ward did the same and tried to comfort the distraught girl. He put his arms around her before a loud commotion filled the room.

"WARD! SKYE! SURRENDER NOW!"

Agent Coulson, followed by May, Triplett, Morse, and a worried Akela Amador, aimed their guns at the couple as they barged into the suite. Ward released Skye who appeared disoriented and confused to see her old friends.

"Agent Amador informed us of your secret mission, Ward!" Coulson snapped. "Not a good choice to get on my bad side!"

Ward frowned. "I'm sorry, sir. I had hoped to reason with Skye…"

"Save it!" Coulson yelled. "You did not follow protocol like I asked and, once again, you put my trust in you at arms' length! I had to coax the information about your plans from Akela! We'll discuss this further back on the bus!" He offered his hand to the hacker. "Skye, please. Come with us."

"Coulson…" She paused. "I can't…They won't…let me go… The Felis are my people!"

He tried to convince. "Skye! The Felis are not your people! They put this demon cat thing inside of you! They're using you!"

"I know but I don't have a choice…"

Her voice was cut off as something metallic crashed through glass of the suite window. A cloud of harsh smoke covered the room as the team felt the stinging effects of the contents.

"TEAR GAS!" Agent May shrieked. "EVERYONE COVER YOUR EYES AND MOUTH!"

They all cowered and coughed as the shadow of a figure growled through the haze. Coulson tried to adjust his eyes as he saw Skye suddenly transform back into the Tigra and knock out Ward with a fist to the face. Then with strength of a power lifter, she picked up the unconscious Ward and crashed through the broken window of the eighth floor of the hotel. The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader raced to the shattered opening to see the feline woman and his sleeping companion land safely on to the street where a getaway van had been parked in front. The Felis and Ward got in and zoomed off as the Coulson watched with a defeated look the two people of his team escaping.

Now he had two captives to worry about.

* * *

_Skye remembered the kiss. Even that brief moment with Ward, it felt wonderful. She crossed the sand again, seeing the same pyramid structure in the background and finally sat down to rest as she knew trying to escape would be a futile effort._

_No matter where she walked, she would always return to the same place._

_Pulling her knees close to her chest, she heard the heartbeat of someone behind her. She got up, turned around and saw Ebrok in his cloak and robes smiling at her._

"_You seem saddened, child."_

"_Why shouldn't I be?" She said defensively. "Once again, the Tigra has killed with my body and now I'm forced to betray my friends and keep my loyalties to the Felis! I still don't see what my role in all of this means!"_

_Ebrok frowned. "Yet, you still fight the truth. You see, my dear Skye, it was foretold of your coming._

"_My coming? What the hell that does mean?"_

"_Long ago, the Tigra spirit was used as a guardian to protect all members of the Vala-Kuri, both the Felis and Reptoids. However, over the centuries, she has been corrupted to serve the needs solely of the Cat-People. It was been said that a special woman, born from the union of a Balkatar and a Felis, would be granted the Tigra spirit and purify the cat-soul of the guardian to finally unite the two races. You, Skye, are that woman!"_

_Skye shook her head. She did not believe it nor did she want to. Folding her arms, she glared at the shaman. "If I'm this uniter, then why the hell I am here? I can't help anyone in this place!"_

"_Patience, my dear Skye," he grinned. "You're fulfilling your duties while you're in this place. It will take a little more time. All I can suggest is that you build your strength. The Tigra spirit might appear strong but the person who wields the power is much more superior. When the time comes, you'll know what to do."_

_He walked past her toward a high mound of sand._

"_All you do is speak in riddles!" She shouted. "What is my true purpose of being here?"_

_Ebrok nodded and smiled. "You'll know, in time my dear. Give it time."_

_With that, he disappeared._

_Frustrated, Skye sat down on the ground again. She had a long wait._


	11. Chapter 11

_Pont de la Tournelle Bridge near the River Seine_

_Paris, France_

Stacy X's high heels clicked and clacked across the stone pavement as she and her fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents followed her underneath the crossing to a manhole covering on the ground. Scantily clad in a short leather mini, tube top and fishnets, she adjusted her short blue wig and waited for a cue from Coulson who wore a loud print suit and gold chains.

"Are you sure this is the place?" She asked her leader.

"The coordinates indicated this location." Coulson informed everyone. He looked ridiculous in his Euro-trash disguise. "Under the city is a series of large canals and sewer tunnels. Le Trou should be taking place there."

"Coulson's right." Agent Morse added as she wiggled in her white bikini outfit, heels and sable coat. She pulled the short curly hairs of her blonde wig away from her face as she reapplied make-up in order to make her look even sleazier. "Le Trou is supposed to be top secret away from prying eyes. They chose this location specifically to continue their illegal fighting tournament."

"Then it's settled." The group's leader announced. "Everyone has their objectives. We go in, find Voelker and get out. Try not to cause a ruckus."

Fitz, who was wearing leather pants, a tight t-shirt and trench coat scowled. His briefcase that contained his computer equipment was clutched in his hand and pressed against his side. "That's a little difficult especially when we're one man down."

He was referring to Grant Ward's kidnapping. Ever since the incident at the Hotel Paris France where the Tigra abducted their comrade, they were one fighter short for the competition. Instead, Agent Triplett offered to volunteer his services. Wearing the newly improved Kevlar red and black suit and armored helmet, Antoine played with the dual batons the Mockingbird loaned him for this mission.

"Antoine, are you sure you're up for this?" Coulson asked the man.

"Don't worry." He reassured him. "I was born ready." He proved his point by pressing a button on one the buttons on the batons that released an electrical spark from the tip. He smiled. "See? Easy peasy."

At this point, Luke Cage stepped up. Dressed in all black from the long sleeve turtle neck, leather jacket, jeans, boots, and beanie cap, he looked like he was ready to commit to a burglary. "Don't worry, Coulson. Danny and I got this!"

He gestured to his fighting partner. Danny Rand wore his notable green martial arts uniform and covered his face in a yellow bandana mask. "We'll protect Agent Triplett in the ring so we'll make sure to keep him safe."

"Good." Coulson agreed. "Le Trou recruits superpowered fighters to battle it out to the death. I want to make sure that all my men come back alive."

Triplett protested. "Hey! I can handle my own in a fight!"

"I know you can," sighed the group leader. "Against humans. But we're talking monsters and mutants here. Who knows what they'll bring out to kill you. The best thing to do is to dodge the attacks so we have time to capture Voelker."

Antoine reluctantly complied. A scantily clad Jemma Simmons in a red leader cocktail dress and boots tapped Coulson on the shoulder.

"Sir, I think we better head out now." She suggested. "The tournament is about to start."

"Soon." Coulson replied. "We're still waiting on Agent May." He scanned the area where their van had been parked nearby. "Where is May?"

Akela Amador, in tight silver leggings and a bra top, answered for her. "She's still in the van and refuses to come out."

Coulson clucked his tongue, marched over to the vehicle and knocked on the backdoor. "May! Come out right now! We're wasting time!"

"Forget it!" She hollered from inside. "There's no way I'm going out in public looking this!"

Folding his arms, the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader rolled his eyes. "May! We agreed to these disguises. Fitz and I would go undercover as wealthy European gamblers while you and the ladies would be our escorts for the evening. It's the perfect cover. Le Trou likes to employ prostitutes for their patrons. It'll give us easy access into the arena!"

"I feel ridiculous!" She snapped through the shut doors of the vehicle.

Coulson groaned. "May, it can't be that bad!" He tried to boost her confidence.

The back doors of the van swung open and out pop Melinda May. She was dressed in high heels, white hosiery, and wore a revealing transparent blue kimono dress with a slit on both sides that showed off her legs. Her black hair had been braided into two tiny buns on sides of her head and held together with white ribbon. She glared at her teammates as the all the men watched her in surprise as both Luke and Danny started to form puddles of drool from the corners of their mouths. May brought her arms up to cover herself.

"Anyone who sings a 2 Live Crew song," she threatened. "I'm going to permanently castrate them!"

Nobody did. Instead, they removed the manhole from the ground and headed down to the sewers.

* * *

The underground tunnels were huge. Intricate corridors and electrical lights on the side of the walls guided their path as they walked down walkways until they saw two burly guards standing in front of a huge metal door. Coulson signaled to Stacy to approach the two men. She followed through with her first mission.

"Hey!" The mutant greeted the two men with an air of cheeriness.

One of the guards examined the blue haired girl and eyed her suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Le Trou, silly!" She giggled. "Actually, it's me, my friends, and our clients tonight!" She waved to Coulson and the gang as the group approached the guards.

The second guard stared at the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader. "I don't recognize you! You're not a regular!" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a gun and aimed it at them. "Now tell us the real reason that you're here!"

"Whoa, liebchen!" Coulson raised his hands, backed away as he put on a fake German accent. "I'm simply heard about Le Trou and wanted to experience it for myself. I've got the money to bet on and some fighters to help me win!"

The first guard immediately recognized Luke and Danny. "Power Man and Iron Fist? Really? You want the world's top MMA fighters to compete in Le Trou?"

Coulson smirked. "Of course. I'm a man with money and a devious reputation. I'm Herr Howard "Da Duck" Lipschitz."

The second guard pulled up his tablet and began to research the name. A dozen criminal activities popped on screen. It seemed to match with his story. Still, he needed a little more convincing. Coulson gestured to Fitz to step forward with his suitcase.

"This is my assistant, Conal Cochran." He smiled. "I'm sure this should validate my credentials." Fitz opened the suitcase to reveal a bundle of hundred dollar bills stacked to equal a million dollars. Unknown to the guards, the computer was hidden underneath a secret compartment in the case. However, they were blinded by the stack of cash filled to the surface.

"One million." Fitz said to the guards. "Need any more convincing?"

The second guard shrugged. "I can't complain." He looked at the ladies. "Still, we're not familiar with the rest of your companions."

"Perhaps I can explain." Barbara Morse smirked. She approached the two men guarding the door. "I am Madame Yelena Belova." She put on a Russian accent. "I'm sure you're heard about me?"

The first guard raised his brows. "Of course, your family is well connected with the Russian mafia. Are you related to Igor Belova?"

The Mockingbird nodded and continued with her lie. "Yes, he's my uncle. Anyway, my girls have been given an opportunity to make a little money. What better way than attending Le Trou? I'm sure that's not going to be a problem?"

The second guard scratched his head. "I'm sure it won't. However, first I want to get your working girls' names on our list."

Stacy X started. "Trixie VanAllen." She said in a baby voice. She pointed to Jemma. "She's Jeannie Frost." Her eyes then gestured to Akela. "And she's…"

"Misty Knight." Agent Amador extended her hand to the first guard. "Please to meet you."

The first guard grew excited as he shook her hand. "Misty Knight? I think I saw one of your movies! Weren't you in Misty Does Dallas?"

Akela groaned and rolled her eyes as she feigned her appreciation. "Uh…yeah. Sure."

Then the second guard glanced at Agent May. "And who is she?"

May answered with her mouth completely still. "Chun-Li."

Agent Morse once again stepped in. "All this checking is getting us nowhere. We have the LeTrou to attend to and you two idiots are holding us up!"

"One more thing." The first guard noted. He referred to Luke Cage and Iron Fist. "You're missing a fighter. There should be three competitors. Where's your third?"

Agent Triplett approached the two men. "It's me. Dwayne Taylor. The Night Thrasher!"

The guard raked his eyes over him. "You? What's your special power or skill?"

Luke replied for him. "He'll show you in the ring. Now are you going to let us in or me or my friend, Danny here, kick your ass to prove we want to fight in the tournament?"

Both bodyguards looked at each other and let him. They opened the huge metal door and directed them toward arena pit where a tiny man greeted them the moment they walked inside.

"Hello fighters!" The man introduced himself. "I'm Ray." His eyes stared at Luke, Danny, and Antoine and gasped. "Luke Cage and Iron Fist?" He raced to shake their hands. "It's an honor to have you here at the LeTrou!"

"Yeah, yeah." Danny groaned. "Show us where we need to go."

Ray pointed to the back entrance. "All fighters go through there. Someone will escort to the waiting room and let you know when the fight begins."

The trio of agents headed in the direction of the competition while Coulson and the team were escorted to the audience pit on the side of the stage. A huge chain link fence was built around the center as a series of barb wire, wooden planks, and thick rope filled the top of the barrier around the arena. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took their places and played their roles as they sat next to dozens of patrons that were part of various criminal organizations.

Coulson scouted the room and whispered to Barbara and May. "I don't see Voelker anywhere."

"Keep your eyes peeled." Agent Morse said to the man. "He's got heavy security around him. He's bound to show his face sometime."

Loud applause rumbled in arena as patrons cheered the moment loud music blared through hidden speakers of the underground event. Clutching a microphone, a tall, muscular albino looking man with a menacing look entered the center of the stage. He was impeccably dressed in a nice suit as he addressed his audience.

"That's Lonnie Lincoln," whispered the Mockingbird to her teammates. "Wait and watch until it's our time to strike."

"Agree." The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader nodded. "Let's see what happens."

Lonnie Lincoln raised a fist to rally the crowd as he returned to his microphone and continued to announce the evening's fight.

"We have a special treat for you tonight! Our death match shall include none other than some special celebrities. Let me introduce you from the MMA world…Luke 'The Power Man' Cage and Danny 'Iron Fist' Rand!"

The crowd went nuts. They jumped in their seats as Luke and Danny entered and waved to the crowd from the audience pit.

"Wow!" Agent Amador remarked. "They're really milking this!"

"Whatever gets them distracted," Fitz responded. "We just need them to buy us some time so we can grab Dr. Voelker and escape from this bloodbath."

Jemma put a hand to her mouth. "If we escape." She exhaled. "We have criminals and deviants here. I doubt we'll get out of here alive."

"Don't worry," said Akela. "We're getting out here alive even that means fighting out way out."

All eyes returned to Lonnie.

"As an extra bonus, Power Man and Iron Fist have enlisted the help of a third fighter." Lonnie voiced out. "Let's give a hand to our newest competitor. Dwayne Taylor! Better known as Night Thrasher!"

The crowd roared again. Agent Triplett came out wearing his Kevlar suit and helmet as he played his part and soaked in the adulation. The presence of the trio riled up the crowd as they waited for their opponents to make their entrance.

Meanwhile, Coulson noticed a gray haired bearded man enter from a specialized built balcony near the stage. A large group of Reptoids surrounded him and his eyes followed his movements as he sat down in front.

"Dr. Voelker." He said to his team through a secretive communicator. "At twelve o'clock. Don't strike until I give the word."

"Copy." Fitz and Jemma replied. Akela also signaled as did May and Morse while Stacy nervously sat down and twiddled her thumbs.

"When the fight starts," said the group leader. "That's when we'll move on for the retrieval phase of our plan."

May looked around the crowd. "Hopefully, this works, Coulson."

"Me too." He said.

Back in the arena, Lonnie Lincoln began to introduce the competitors.

"First up! The man known for his sharpened tendencies! Jasper Warp! Better known as Quill!"

A stern man with a scars running down his face and military fatigues entered. He growled at the audience as his skin broke out into sharp pointed needles across his face, neck, hands, arms and shoulders.

"Ouch!" Fitz remarked. "It's a living porcupine."

"More like a blowfish." Jemma added. "Hopefully, this fight ends soon." She covered he eyes. "I can't watch."

Lonnie then continued on his microphone. "From the depths of the jungles of South America, we have Stanley Kirby, also known as Boulder!"

An older gentleman marched on stage. His face was covered in stone platelets and his entire body transformed into living stone. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team gasped in wonder.

"This is going to be a tough fight." Barbara commented.

"You're telling me," said Akela. "These guys look tough."

The two fighters waved at the crowd. Cheers and adulations came their way as the announcer continued with the final introduction.

"Last but not least." Lonnie smirked. "This fighter hails from our very own Dr. Voelker's Serpent Society. A Reptoid in his own right, let's give it up for Gustav Krueger! Better known as The Rattler!"

A stunned audience watched as scaly lizard man approached the stage. He appeared completely naked as his body was covered in platelet textures and yellowish, green hues. A row of sharp teeth from his mouth showed that he meant business while sharp claws curled around his fingers. The Rattler hissed at his opponents and whipped around his long moving tail. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents gasped in surprise as the thing stuck out its forked tongue.

"Crap!" Barbara exclaimed nervously. "Our boys are dead!"

Coulson sadly had to agree.


	12. Chapter 12

The crowd roared, banged their chairs and cheered on their favorite fighters as the tournament began. The competitor named Quill started first. He eyed Danny, extracted his spikes around his body and darted toward the Iron Fist. Seeing the spiky thing racing toward him, the martial artist spun around before Quill could grab him which left Agent Triplett breaking out his batons and making an attempt to protect his ally.

"Back off!" The operative calling himself Night Thrasher shouted toward Quill. He struck the baton across the spiky combatant's back but it did very little in harming him as the dangerous fighter turned to face Antoine and decided to attack him instead. Agent Triplett's eyes opened wide and he realized his mistake. "Whoops. Bad move."

He decided to dash toward the other side of the arena to avoid Quill but instead something large grabbed his arm and legs and hoisting him in the air. It was Boulder. The rocky brute lifted Antoine and tossed him like a sack of potatoes against the fence. If not for his Kevlar suit that protected him from the impact, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent would have been permanently damaged.

Once again the audience cheered. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team winced.

Jemma had to cover her eyes as Fitz held her hand to comfort her.

"Our guys are getting creamed!" She whispered to the engineer. "They're not going to survive the match!"

"Have a little faith." Fitz reassured. "Agent Triplett, Luke, and Danny are trained warriors. They'll get through this."

From her seat, Agent May signaled to Coulson with concern for her teammates. "How much longer?"

The group's leader sighed. "Just a little bit more. We can't strike and get to Voelker right now. The match only started. Be patient." His eyes looked up at the private box where the Serpent Society leader sat with his bodyguards. In his arms he held an object. From his seat, he could not identify the item so he requested Akela's assistance.

"Akela," he instructed. "Use your bionic eye to enhance Voelker's private balcony. He has something in his hand."

Akela nodded. Using her left cybernetic eye, she gazed at the doctor and screened the item he concealed underneath his arm. It was a half a broken stone tablet with a snake seal on it. She reported her findings to her superior.

"He's got the other half of the Ebrok seal." She told him.

Barbara Morse added. "That's foolish of him. That makes him a living target of the Felis."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Stacy X jumped in as she hugged herself. "Dr. Voelker is a paranoid man. He thinks the whole is out to get him. He'll clutch a wad of cash in plain view of everybody if he thinks the bank is going to lose it."

"Then it's settled." Coulson suggested. "We wait a little while longer and then we'll make our move. Get Voelker, the seal, and get out."

May was not too confident on the plan. "If we manage to survive first. We're surrounded by crooks and killers and then we've got Voelker's men to deal with. We'll be lucky if we even make it through the emergency exits."

"I've got that covered." Fitz declared. "I'm sending it explosive drones to create a smokescreen and detonate so it can ensure out escape. It's fail proof plan."

Melinda shrugged. "If you say so. Hopefully, it works."

"It'll work." Coulson said to May. "Fitz will buy us some time so we get out with Voelker. For now, don't move until I give the signal."

Everyone agreed. Back inside the arena, the snake Reptoid known as the Rattler whipped out its tail and lashed out at Luke Cage. The Power Man ducked out of the way as he faced off with the Serpent Society member. Another strike of the tail came toward his face but Luke managed to grab it, squeezed hard on the appendage and drag Rattler back. The MMA fighter needed some time for his partner Iron Fist to rescue Night Thrasher from Boulder before Quill went on the offensive and attacked him. So far, he kept the Reptoid distracted.

Rattler hissed, stuck it forked tongue, and tripped Luke with his legs. Once again the crowd cheered as money was exchanged and bets were made. Lonnie Lincoln observed from the sidelines the ensuing brawl and grinned with pride at that fact that was going to make a multi-million profit tonight. He shook his fist, egged on the combatants to finish their opponents. By this time, Luke had managed to scramble to his feet but was knocked down again by Rattler who tried to chomp down on his face with his sharp teeth. The Power Man managed grip both sides of the Reptoid's face to hold him, knee the creature in the stomach, and push him off.

"Get off me!" Luke yelled at the reptilian fighter.

Clutching his bruised belly, the Rattler hissed again, stuck out its forked tongue and lunged at the Power Man. This time Luke was more than ready. A clawed hand swiped up at him but the MMA competitor dodged the blow. Instead, he twisted his side so that the sharp talon narrowly missed him by an inch, and went after the Reptoid's tail again. Holding the appendage in vicelike grip, Luke yanked with all of his superhuman strength. Rattler squealed, flipped through the air and landed hard on the ground with a huge thud. It tried to get up to fight again but the Power Man quickly kicked the Reptoid in the face and knocked him out cold.

Half the audience cheered as they collected their winnings while the other half booed the fighter due to their losses. Luke ignored the naysayers and refocused his attention back to his friends in the ring.

From his sight of vision, the Power Man noticed Boulder marching toward Agent Triplett with the intention of killing him while Iron Fist was continuously attempting to dodge Quill as the spiky fighter tried to impale him with his spines. He decided to assist Antoine first.

He barely got a few feet before the stone opponent slammed his fist into Luke and sent him flying toward the other side of the cage. Danny saw this, grew distracted, and experienced a deep pain in his shoulder. His eyes glanced down to see a deep gash on the ripped sleeve of his green robes from where Quill had cut him with his spikes. Placing a hand over his bleeding wound, he raced out of his adversary's path and went to assist his friend as Quill chased him down.

On the other corner of the arena, Agent Triplett shook his head and got back his bearings. He was bit disoriented after Boulder threw him across the cage but he managed to quickly recover. Seeing Quill dashing after Danny, he pulled out his other baton, switched on the button as the weapon sparked from the end. Then like an Olympian javelin thrower, he shot the electrified stick. It sailed through the air, connected in between Quill's spikes, and sparked.

Quill shrieked as a huge voltage of electricity surged through his body. He shook, convulsed, and foamed at the mouth. His spikes eventually retracted back into his body and he fell to his knees and on to the ground unconscious.

Once again the crowd roared and booed as money was exchanged during the match.

A disoriented Luke lied sprawled on the floor as he shifted his face to see the shadow of large presence above him. Boulder raised his large rocklike fists and prepared to bash his head in. However, Iron Fist came to the rescue. With an intense chi flowing through his right hand, Danny leaped into air, did a perfect one eighty turn, and slammed his closed hand into the chest of the stone creature. Boulder's body tumbled across the ground, struck the chain barrier of cage, and landed into the audience pit amid the panicked chaos of the dregs of society who scrambled to get out its path.

With the arena destroyed and three MMA fighters left standing, the underground tournament broke out into applause. Lonnie Lincoln raced on stage with his microphone and congratulated the trio.

"Yes folks, we have some survivors!" He introduced the three as they waved to their fans. "Luke 'The Power Man' Cage! Danny 'Iron Fist' Rand. And Dwayne 'Night Thrasher' Taylor." He paused for moment and allowed the cheers to settle down. His albino face smirked. "However, we're not done quite yet. Our three winners have entered into the finalists round. Each one must fight to the death until there's only one left."

The three allies looked at each other nervously as Lonnie grinned wickedly at the trio.

"Who will it be?"

Coulson took this as their cue. He nodded to May, Morse, and Amador and signaled to Jemma and Fitz.

"Fitz, get ready with the drone explosives."

Fitz agreed. He pulled out a secret device from his pocket when a large sound erupted from the sidelines and down the other tunnels. Everyone in the arena screamed. Chaos ensued as everyone rushed to the exits to get away from the melee.

"Fitz, did you push the button already?" Jemma wondered.

"That wasn't me." He said.

"What was that then?" Stacy X asked nervously.

Another explosion ripped through the arena. The S.H.I.E.L.D. hit the floor as debris and dust flew everywhere. The audience screeched in fright as large shadows emerged from the smoking clouds.

"HAIL H.Y.D.R.A.!"

A large group of soldiers rushed in with rifles blazing. They began firing into the arena as everyone shrieked and ran for cover. From behind his chair, Coulson looked up to see Baroness Heike at the forefront with several members of the Cat-People rushing to the balcony to attack Dr. Voelker.

"GET ME DR. VOELKER AND THE SEAL NOW!" She ordered her men.

A nervous Dr. Voelker ordered his men to protect him as the bodyguards turned into Reptoids and attacked the onslaught of feline soldiers heading in his direction. Guns were fired while claws, teeth and tails were used against each other. Despite having good security, the Serpent Society leader found a needle stuck into his throat by a Felis soldier as the cat-person brought the sleeping doctor and the seal to the Baroness.

Seeing her prize being carried to her, the H.Y.D.R.A. scientist grinned. "Now our plan is complete! H.Y.D.R.A. shall flourish!"

"Not quite!"

A voice came up behind her. A scantily clad, wigged out Agent Morse jumped in her path and managed to land a kick to the woman's face with her high heel shoe. The Baroness went down hard as her feline comrades readied their weapons and aimed it at the Mockingbird.

However, Agent Morse had back-up. Akela's cybernetic legs darted in fast, disarmed a few of the soldiers with her bionic arm and knocked out the rest with her specialized fighting skills. Those that remained were controlled by Stacy X who managed to use her mutant pheromone mist to keep the other Cat-People at bay. Coulson whipped out his gun and held it up to the Baroness.

"It's over Baroness," he said. "Hand over Dr. Voellker and surrender."

The auburn haired woman sneered. "It's not over, S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

One more explosion ripped through the tunnels as a strange mist filled the arena with some sort of bizarre gas. Everyone began to cough as the covered their noses and mouths only to see the Baroness and her men escaping with a sleeping Dr. Voelker and his men down the underground corridors. Coulson and his team tried to chase them but it was too late. They had vanished with their intended target which left them with a nothing but a failed mission.

The smoke eventually cleared. A frustrated Coulson checked on his team as he noticed the arena completely empty. Apparently, all the criminals had disappeared to parts unknown. He was about to think about his next strategy when he heard the click of something behind him and felt the edge of something metallic pointed at the base of his head. He slowly turned around.

Lonnie Lincoln, mobster and illegal fight club promoter, aimed his gun straight at Coulson's head.

"I overheard you say you were S.H.I.E.L.D." He said angrily. "You ruined my business! Now I'm going to splatter your brains all over this arena!"

Coulson grinned. "Think again." He pointed to something behind the mobster.

Lonnie turned around to see a furious woman in a sexy blue dress and wearing two big braids on top her head jumping at him with both fists. The surprise attack startled the criminal that he dropped his gun. Agent May landed two fists into the man's face and appeared unaffected. She landed on the ground, her feet spread in a fighting stance.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Melinda scowled. "Chun-Li. Me love you long time." She kicked him hard in the chest but again he laughed as the assault did very little in hurting him.

"Bitch!" He spat. "Dr. Voelker made me superhuman too! You can't hurt me!"

She decided to fight dirty. Sliding her feet down, she lowered her body so that her face met with his lower half. Then with the hardest punch possible, she struck him the most sacred place of any man.

The privates.

Lonnie Lincoln crumbled like a ton of bricks.

May got back up and smiled. "Guess you're not so superhuman after all."

Lonnie growled, covered his groin and prepared to beat down May for good but Luke Cage politely went behind him and slammed a fist into the back of the man's head. The mobster fell forward completely knocked out.

"Thanks," she smiled at the Power Man.

"Don't mention it." He nodded. "Lonnie should learn that it's not nice to hit a lady."

"Speaking of lady," Coulson noted. "The Baroness and the Felis got away with Voelker and the seal. We're in deep trouble since we have no clue of where to begin."

Agent Morse stepped in. "I beg to differ." She pointed to an unconscious Lonnie. "We got Lincoln here. He's been working closely with Voelker and the Reptoids. We can interrogate him and get some information from him."

"Good idea." The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader nodded. "It's a step in the right direction. Let's get him back to the bus and start the questioning. He's got to tell us something."

"Don't worry," Barbara grinned. "He will."

* * *

_The S.H.I.E.L.D. Jet_

Lonnie Lincoln stared at the hexagon décor placed all the around the room. For a covert government organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. definitely had not taste. His eyes glanced at the weird cuff on his wrist. He slammed the table hard with his fist only to feel his hand throb with pain and a few cuts on the knuckle. _Damn, my powers are gone!_ He thought to himself. The door quickly opened as Agents Coulson and Morse and mysterious young girl entered the room.

"Mr. Lincoln," the group's leader greeted. "I'm Agent Coulson and this is…"

"Agent Barbara Morse." The mobster sneered at the blonde woman. "I know you're both S.H.I.E.L.D. especially Morse there. She went undercover and took down one my clients. A drug dealer named Desalvo. I can't say that I'm pleased to meet you both." He eyed the younger girl suspiciously. "Who's that?"

"Agent Stacy X." The mutant smiled. "I'm here to help with your interview."

Folding his arms defiantly, Lonnie sat back. "I'm not telling you nothing."

Stacy giggled. "We'll be the judge of that." She slipped her hand around her neck as a strange mist wafted through the air, seeped into the albino's skin, and kept the man's eyes glued on the agents. It took a few seconds but the suspect was ready for questioning. "He's all yours, Coulson and Morse."

Coulson thanked his comrade and started. "Tell me what Dr. Voekler is planning."

Lonnie attempted to fight but he found himself unable to suppress his thoughts. "World conquest. He wants to eradicate all races for he sees the Reptoids as the superior species. They are far above any human or Felis out there."

"How does he plan on achieving this?" Agent Morse questioned him.

"The Ebrok seal." He stated. "The ancient sorcerer put a spell on it where a Balkatar can summon a curse to bring forth the ultimate being. A creature so powerful that it can bring destruction to any species alive."

"How so?" The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader asked. "If two parts of the seal are joined, the Balkatar must perform a ritual to summon the monster but there is a catch. The Balkatar must serve as a host to the demon so that it can bring forth a holocaust and eradicate the species they wish to eliminate."

"Holocaust?" Barbara gasped. "What do you mean?"

The mobster explained. "Once the creature is summoned, the being will act as an anchor and spread an untold pain and death to anyone related to that species." He glanced at Stacy. "If the Felis get a hold of it, that would mean an end to all Reptoids. You'll be dead."

Stacy covered her mouth at the revelation. "I'm…going to die?"

"No you won't!" Coulson told the girl. "We're putting an end to that!"

Lonnie cackled. "How? Part of the ritual is already started. The Cat-People's Balkatar already has the components to perform the ritual."

Coulson stomped toward the criminal. "Tell us what you mean by that?"

The mobster smirked. "Don't you get it? To complete the ritual a sacrifice has to be made. He's got the seal, the leader of the other Vala-Kuri, Dr. Voelker, a traitorous hero who is your Agent Ward, and the wielder of the Tigra spirit, Flavius's daughter. All he needs is the full moon at midnight tonight and the blood sacrifices and the ritual will be carried out. You're too late!"

Barbara grabbed the man by the shirt and angrily shook him. "TELL US WHERE THE RITUAL TAKES PLACE TONIGHT!"

Lonnie shook nervously at the woman. "The Montmartre Hill! Underneath the the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is an underground cavern where the full moon's light strikes a certain spot underneath. He means to complete the ritual there!"

"Then we have not time to lose." Agent Morse announced. She turned to Coulson. "We bring our team in, stop the ritual, and rescue our friends."

"What about Lonnie?" Coulson asked the blonde operative.

"Contact Interpol." She suggested. "I'm sure they'll be happy to have a known criminal in their penal system."

Stacy glanced at the two operatives and frowned. Upon hearing her impending death, she began to sob. Barbara went over to comfort her and embraced her.

"There there." She whispered. "You're not going to die tonight or ever."

"How can…you be so sure…?" the young girl wept. "If this ritual succeeds…I'm dead…I'm a Reptoid now, remember?"

"No one is going to die." Coulson patted the mutant's back. "I'll make sure of it."

Barbara held her tight and let her release. She was going to make this mission was going to be successful.

* * *

_Skye ran through the sand. Heat coursed through her body as the sun beat down hard upon her. She walked a few feet, kicking up the dirt behind her when she saw Ebrok facing some mountains ahead as a woman with orange fur and black stripes slowly walk toward him. He took one look at her and embraced her._

"_You've been missing from my bedside, Master." She purred into the sorcerer's ear._

"_Forgive me, Tigra," he smiled. "But my thoughts have been occupied at the moment."_

"_How so?" Tigra pouted._

"_I'm trying to remember when I came from," he said. "I remember my life far above the stars before I came to planet."_

_Tigra hugged him. "The fates aligned and brought you here. You gave the Vala-Kuri life. You arrive here for me."_

_Ebrok smiled and kissed her. "True, beloved. They did. However, I sometimes I feel regretful of my actions of creating the Felis and the Reptoids. They grow envious due to their nature and with the presence of humans, I fear they might harm them."_

_Tigra smiled. "That's why you created me. You needed me to be our people's guide to teach them compassion, strength and kindness. You also taught me the important of…"_

"_Love." Ebrok answered for her. "Yes, love is what unites us. Don't let them ever forget that." He lifted her chin and kissed her._

_Skye observed this exchange and scratched her head. Ebrok and the Tigra were a couple? Who would have believed it? She started to walk away when suddenly the sorcerer stepped in front of her._

_She jumped back. "Whoa! You really need to warn somebody before you do that!"_

"_Sorry," he giggled. "So you saw my relationship with Tigra?"_

_The hacker exhaled. "Yeah. Exactly, what happened between you two? Did you two have a fallen out? Did she steal your computer?"_

_Ebrok laughed and shook his head. Then his face frowned. "No. If only it were that easy. She became corrupted by evil. The envy within the Vala-Kuri grew between themselves. The Felis and the Reptoids began a civil war and the Tigra spirit became caught in the middle. The Cat-People began using her for their nefarious purposes and Tigra became victim of their hatred. That's why as the current wielder of her power, I'm hoping you could change all that."_

_Skye inhaled. "That's why the Tigra chose me, isn't it? You want me to lead her back to the right path?"_

_Ebrok nodded. "Yes. You have the innocence and purity to regain back what she had lost. Despite her fury, her feral nature, and her anger, that goodness still exists within her. You are the strongest of the pair. You must teach her and help unite the Vala-Kuri to end this war."_

"_But how?" She clenched her fists. "I barely know how to get out of this place!"_

"_You will." The sorcerer smiled. "It's in your nature."_

_With that, he vanished once again._

* * *

"Skye!"

She woke up. She was in her room. Lifting her face from her pillow, she noticed a familiar figure strapped to a chair in chains near her bed. She adjusted her eyes to see who it was.

It was Grant Ward.

"Ward!" She exclaimed. She scrambled from her bed to try to free him from his shackles. The chains were heavily locked.

"It's no use." Grant scowled. "They injected a muscle relaxer into me to damper my powers. I can't access my ionic abilities right now."

"Wait!" She suggested. "Maybe I can summon the Tigra spirit to break your chains?" She touched her neck to see that the talisman pendant was missing. She was trapped as a helpless human.

"Looking for this?" A German voice taunted her. She held the teardrop necklace within her fingers.

Skye stepped back. "What do you want, Dr. Kohler?"

The Baroness clucked. "Dr. Kohler is an alias! I am Baroness Heike Zemo!"

Ward heard this and his mouth dropped. "You're related to Baron Zemo? The one who was the right hand man of the Red Skull!"

"Da!" The auburn haired woman laughed. "I'm married to a descendant of the original. My late husband and his family had been associated with H.Y.D.R.A. for decades! Now it's my turn to carry on the legacy by allying with the Felis and bringing forth the Cat-People's ritual so that they can aid our organization!"

Skye gulped nervously. "What is my father planning?"

"He's going to summon a demon to eradicate the Reptoids and then H.Y.D.R.A. can use the creature as a weapon to destroy our enemies! In order to that, he needs you and Agent Ward to complete the prophecy!" She turned to the doorway. "Isn't that correct, Dr. Tumulo?"

Raina slowly crept through the door of Skye's room. "That's right, Baroness." She was wearing a different floral dress but her demeanor still displayed a sinister aura. "I'm sorry, Skye, but your father has this planned out from the beginning from the moment you were born. The Tigra inhabiting your body, the kidnapping of Ward, the taking of the seal, it was all carefully orchestrated by him."

Ward gritted his teeth. "You mean he wishes to kill us both to complete some ritual, right Raina?"

"Don't think of it that," smiled the woman. "Think of it doing it for the honor of the Cat-People."

Skye folded her arms and scowled. "And I thought you said you wanted to follow in the belief of the Tigra. Seems to me you have your own agenda."

Raina smirked. "I follow what's good for the Cat-People which includes ridding the world of the Reptoids. You see, the Felis are dominant species. We've been here long before humans and we will thrive longer than that. In order to eradicate our weaker ones, we must first create some casualties beginning with this ritual. Your father is a Balkatar, a leader among his people. It his duty to use both halves of the seal to summon a demon to arrive upon this planet. Once it does, then the other Vala-Kuri will suffer a great death and the Cat-People will survive."

"So you're going to eradicate an entire species just so the Felis can be the dominant race?" The hacker questioned. "It sounds ludicrous."

"It sounds wonderful." Raina purred. "However to complete it we need you and Ward. According to the prophecy of the Ebrok seal, it requires a Balktar from both sides. Your father who is the leader of the Felis and Dr. Voelker of the Reptoids. Then there is the Tigra spirit and a traitorous hero which is Ward who ironically must be lovers."

Ward glanced at Skye and shook his head. "We're not lovers."

Raina balked. "Sure. Keep telling yourselves that." Her sarcastic remark hit close to home. Ward and Skye did share some feelings but neither wanted to admit it. "Finally, we need one last component to complete the spell. A leader."

"We have one!" The Baroness shouted. "Flavius! The Cat-People's Balkatar!"

The woman in the flower dressed shrugged. She reached behind her back, pulled out taser and shot a bolt of electricity at the H.Y.D.R.A. leader. Dr. Heike Zemo shook violently and toppled to the floor convulsing helplessly. Skye gasped as she glanced at Raina who grinned from ear to ear.

"Like I said, the ritual requires a leader to sacrifice. You'll do nicely."


	13. Chapter 13

_The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris_

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris or Sacré-Cœur Basilica as it is called in France is popular and well-known landmark located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point of the city. Construction began around 1875 and finished in 1914 as a monument dedicated to the Roman Catholic church and serves as a political and cultural symbol of French history. A representation of national penance for the excesses of the Second Empire and the socialist Paris Commune of 1871, it became visual representation dedicated to the conservative moral order of public who embrace the teachings and faith of Jesus Christ.

However, underneath the famous church lies a secret. Hundreds of deep catacombs connect into secret passageways as covert organizations have been using these tunnels to conduct private political agendas for decades. One such group are the Cat-People, the Felis.

Skye struggled against the thick ropes tying her wrists behind her back as her body pressed against the spine of her bound partner, Agent Grant Ward. The pair had been tied up back to back against a large pole as symbols had been dug around them that connected to another group of images on the ground. The hacker stared at the grooves of the dirt. It appeared to be a circle and that shape was connected to the vertex of another polygon, a diamond to be precise. The diamond surrounded a large space of the chamber with each point of the shape containing a circle where Dr. Seth Voelker had been tied up to one pole on the eastside and Baroness Zemo had been bound to another on the west end of the polygon. Skye and Ward had been positioned on the southern tip of the shape while an empty space on the northern part showed it unoccupied. Skye wondered the reason behind it before she saw that each vertex connected to crossed lines in the dirt and at the center seated on a pedestal were both halves of the Ebrok seal.

"Grant!" She whispered to her partner. "Do you still have your powers?"

Ward squeezed his hands and tried to break the ropes but the knots were too strong. "No. The muscle relaxer in my system is still dampening my powers. I'm not able to access it."

Skye sighed as a furious Baroness yelled at the group of cloaked Cat-People heading into the chamber.

"I DEMAND THAT YOU RELEASE ME!" The H.Y.D.R.A. leader spat. "I AM BARONESS HEIKE ZEMO! I SHALL NOT BE TREATED THIS WAY!"

A snicker came from the crowd. One of the attendees removed her cloak to reveal Dr. Raina Tumulo underneath the guise. The Felis scientist's eyes glowed a yellowish green as she slowly marched up to the German woman.

"Patience, my dear Baroness." Raina grinned. "Your time to serve will come." Then she glanced at Dr. Voelker who appeared frightened. She walked over to him. "You've given the Cat-People a bit of trouble for quite some time."

The gray bearded Reptoid sneered. "And I have no regrets over my actions! I would gladly do it all over again!"

Raina shrugged. "Fine, have it your way! Our Balkatar will deal with you soon enough!"

Skye stuck her head out and called out to the scientist. "Where is my father, Flavius?"

The sound of squeaky wheels echoed into the chamber. All hoods of the Cat-People were removed to reveal their true feline themselves as the Felis maid, Eleanor, pushed the Balkatar's wheelchair in plain view of everyone. Flavius signaled for Eleanor to stop as the saddened woman took her place among her people.

"_You…are wondering…why I'm doing this, Skye." _His voice breathed into his oxygen tank. _"Understand…I had no choice…It pains me…but it's for the good…of our people."_

The hacker frowned. "Good for our people? You would kill your own daughter for your own personal gain? Is that the same thing you did to my mother Helene? You murdered her because she gave me away to protect me from you?"

Through his disfigured face, Flavius's eyes exhibited shock. "How do you know of Helene? I never discussed her with you!"

"I'm a hacker, remember?" Skye twisted her mouth. "I've been digging into your private computer files and found your diaries. Word to wise, dear old Dad, you may want to lock your journals with a difficult electronic password! I read every detail of what you did! Helene gave me away to a Chinese orphanage so that you couldn't reach me! Then you discovered her betrayal and ordered her death. You manipulated Dr. Voelker into injecting a poison to kill her and blamed him as a scapegoat to incite a war against the Reptoids!"

Dr. Voelker jumped in. "It's true! Flavius came to me in secret and offered a truce between the Felis and the Reptoids in exchange for a venomous neurotoxin that would kill a Vala-Kuri. He then ordered my men to abduct Helene, overtake her, and inject her with the serum. She died instantly. But that's not all! After her death, Flavius turned on us and ordered the Cat-People to eradicate us. Myself and few of men escaped but I was able to inject him with the same neurotoxin that killed Helene. However it didn't kill him. Instead, it mutated him into that grotesque abomination you see before you!"

"_LIES!" _Flavius roared inside the chamber. His voice was breathless. _"ALL LIES…YOU CAN'T TRUST…A REPTOID! LOOK AT THEIR HISTORY…THE GUCUMATZ…THE BACHUE…BOREAS…THE SERPENT…EACH ONE HAS BEEN MENTIONED OF THEIR RACE…IN ANCIENT WRITINGS AND EACH ONE HAS LOOKED UPON…WITH DISTRUST…THE REPTOIDS HAVE EXISTED…BUT HAVE BROUGHT DESTRUCTION…UPON THE WORLD…IT'S TIME THAT WE DEAL WITH THEM!"_

Murmurs of concern drifted through the crowd. Skye could see that the growing disenchantment among the Felis people. She decided to say something.

"See!" She shouted to the crowd. "Fellow Felis! I was chosen as your guardian and protector, The Tigra! My father has proven to be untrustworthy and wishes to do harm to everyone in the Vala-Kuri! Do not side with him! His intentions are evil!"

Ward leaned in close enough for Skye to hear. "Do you think they're buying your impassioned speech?"

"I hope so." She said to him. "Otherwise, we're screwed."

The Cat-People began to discuss among themselves their worries of their Balkatar's intentions. Was he truly helping the clan or did have his own agenda? The crowd began to doubt their leader.

The Baroness added her thoughts. "Felis! Listen to your Tigra! She speaks the truth! Flavius had me betray Dr. Voelker and he then he betrayed me! Who knows which side he is truly on! Do not follow him!"

"_ENOUGH!" _Flavius growled. _"NO MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT LOYALTY! WE WILL BEGIN THE RITUAL NOW!"_

A thin light peeked through an opening of the underground ceiling. It was the light of the full moon and it touched both halves of the seal. The Balkatar wheeled his chair toward the center of the pedestal, brought the two broken pieces together, and lifted his arms up to say the incantation. He checked his watch. Midnight had struck and he was ready.

"_In honor…of our creator Ebrok…I invoke the power in the name…of the Felis…Fill this vessel with your host..."_

The ground trembled. The ritual was about to begin.

* * *

"_Fitz? Jemma? You got our frequency?"_

Coulson talked to his two scientists through his communicator.

"_Ready." _Fitz responded. _"I'm sending the drones in to assist you."_

"_Oh and added something extra to the drones." _Jemma added. _"It's a knockout gas. It should immobilize the Cat-People if you run into trouble down there."_

"Then, we're set." The group's leader noted. He looked at Agent May who was suited up in her S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform to Agent Amador who wore a high tech jumpsuit. Agent Morse zipped up her white and gray special tech uniform with matching goggles while Agent Triplett wore the Night Thrasher Kevlar gear and helmet. Lastly, they were followed by Luke Cage who opted for a simple black turtle neck, leather jacket and jeans while Danny "Iron First" Rand wore his masked yellow bandana and green martial arts robe. Each hero was ready to stop the ritual from happening.

"Let's head out!" The Mockingbird told the team.

They entered the front halls of the church and down the hallway as a priest in long black robes stopped their path. The holy man spoke French and introduced himself as Father Etienne to which Coulson responded in the man's native tongue.

"Excuse me, Father, but we're S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and we have global threat deep underneath your church." He flashed the man his badge. "Please tell us where the Basilica's catacombs are."

Father Etienne frowned. "Forgive me, Agent Coulson. But this is house of God. You can't go wandering around this late at night and expect me to divulge this information. The Vatican would not allow it."

"Father please." Coulson pleaded. "It's matter of life or death. Please tell us where the door of the catacombs are."

Father Etienne sighed and pointed to the large statue of the Virgin Mary that covered the wall. Akela used her right bionic arm to move the heavy object with ease to reveal a secret corridor with stairs that led underneath the church.

"Thank you, Father." The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader said to the holy man. He turned his back to follow his team when he failed to notice Father Etienne's eyes glowing with a feline color, his hands arched with claws, and his face sprouting fur. Shifting this neck to acknowledge the man, Coulson saw the priest turn into a Cat-Person and slowly backed away. The man of God lunged at the operative.

Luckily, Luke Cage was there to protect him. He slammed his strong fist into the back of the Felis's head and slammed the holy man into the ground. Father Etienne was now unconscious.

"That was close." Coulson noted to Power Man.

"Watch your back, Coulson." Luke advised. "Looks like the Cat-People got plenty more soldiers protecting them."

He nodded as the rest of the group headed down the stairs into the tunnels.

Outside, Jemma and Fitz checked their team's status on their high tech computers in the van that was parked close to the church. Seated next to them was a worried Stacy X who pondered her death at any second. Jemma noticed the poor girl's face and offered her support.

"Cheer up, Stacy." The English scientist smiled. "Coulson and our team will find a way to end this curse."

Stacy frowned. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who is dying. If this ritual takes place, all Reptoids including me will die. That's what Lonnie Lincoln said."

Fitz offered his take. "Don't take the word of a criminal so seriously." His Scottish brogue tried to ease her troubled mind. "We've got good agents. They'll rescue our friends and stop the ritual from ever happening. You're not going to die."

"Fitz! I'm getting a thermal read of the Felis on my computer!" Jemma said excitedly.

The engineer got close to the bio-chemist as they checked her data. Large groups of humanoid individuals gathered deep in the tunnels as their heat signatures went off in their system.

"Amazing." The tech operative announced. "Their reads are very similar to humans."

"That's because they are human." Jemma agreed. "Just because they're part feline in nature doesn't mean they don't have human biological traits. Wouldn't you say so, Stacy?" She had hoped to get the young girl interested in science so she would not worry about her life threatening situation. The bio-chemist glanced at the back of the van to see the rear door slight ajar and Stacy missing. Jemma panicked. "Fitz! She's gone! Stacy has gone into the church!"

The pair quickly got of the van with their laptops and sprinted inside the Basilica.

Stacy discovered the knocked out body of a priest lying on the floor of the church. She stepped over him, located the secret catacomb entrance and entered. Walking down the stairs and into the tunnels, she pulled out the hidden switchblade from her boot and followed in the direction of where the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were heading. She was determined to enact revenge for her late sister's death. Come hell or high water, she would kill the people involved with Tanya's murder.

Flavius and the Tigra.

* * *

The ritual started. Flavius rushed his wheelchair to the northern side of the diamond as the seal glowed with an eerie light. Within seconds, it burst into flame. The embers touched each side of the cross, ignited into the ground and made their way toward each point of the diamond. The flames touched the Baroness first.

Seeing the fire heading toward her, the German woman screamed.

"NO! NO! NOOOOOO!"

It took seconds before her clothes lit on fire. Her body lit up instantly as the inferno engulfed her. Screams of her body being burned alive shocked and frightened many of the Felis and they forced their eyes away to not witness the horror. Skye clutched Ward's hand as they listened at the agonizing screams of the H.Y.D.R.A. leader dying until the last breath escaped her lips.

Then finally she died. The Baroness's body crumbled with the ropes holding her body to the body and her charred remains placed on display in a horrific fashion for everyone to see.

Skye turned to Agent Ward as they felt the heat of the ritual's fire getting closer to them.

"Grant," she whispered as her tears started to well in her eyes. "There's something you should know."

"What, Skye?" He swallowed nervously as the heat came closer.

"Part of my Tigra power," she began to cry. "Is empathic clairvoyance. I can touch someone and see their memories, their feelings, and their desires and experience them…Your fingers, when I touch them… I know how you feel about me…I just want to say…"

"I know, Skye." He said. A slight tear streaked down his face. "I feel the same way too. I thought…I thought I was alone and that I could cut my emotions off in order to be the perfect soldier…I thought I was incapable of love…I didn't deserve love…My family never offered it so I was denied…This made me a true coward. I'm not afraid anymore, Skye. I'm not afraid of my feelings especially for you. Skye…what I want to say is that I love you. I love you, Skye."

The hacker sobbed. "I love you too, Grant."

Their fingers clutched tight as the heat of the flames neared them. It finally reached their bound bodies and engulfed them. Strangely enough there was no pain as the fire burned around them. They held their hands together, shut their eyes, happy in their admission of their feelings as the blaze around them guided them into the darkness.

"SKYE!" Coulson roared at seeing their bodies burning. Neither one heard him as the voices around them disappeared.

They were finally at peace.

* * *

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Agent Morse gasped at seeing two of their agents burned alive. She tried to reach them but one of the Felis guards attacked her. She was forced to defend herself.

Flavius noticed the interlopers and called to his people. _"ATTACK! THE RITUAL MUST…BE COMPLETED!"_

Forced to follow their Balkatar, the Cat-People went after the S.H.I.E.L.D. members. Agents Triplett and Amador defended themselves from the onslaught of feline soldiers while May, Luke Cage, and Iron fist held their own against their group of adversaries. This left Coulson wielding his gun and trying to gain back the seal. He rushed toward the center of the diamond as two large blazes surrounded the room.

"_NO!" _ Flavius protested. He had not finished the sacrifice of Dr. Voelker and fell out of his wheelchair to crawl over to the seal.

Coulson was quicker. He dodged the ongoing flames, reached out to grab for the seal before a dark figure slammed into him and knocked him off balance. The agent rolled on the ground just in time as a bit of fire caught on to his pant leg. He quickly put it out. His eye glanced up to see a freed Dr. Voelker who had hidden a blade in his clothes remove the last of his ropes off his hands and clutch part of the seal with his hands. Coulson knew he had to act quickly. He targeted the object with his gun and fired.

Once again the seal broke into two. Voelker held the half with the snake symbol while the other sailed through the air and landed near determined Flavius who crawled across the ground. Each one held their piece of the mystical object and glared at each other.

"_NO!"_ The Felis Balkatar shrieked. _"The SEAL IS MINE!"_ He shook his half with the lion symbol it.

"NO IT'S MINE!" Dr. Voelker smirked at the Felis leader.

The ground trembled again as the S.H.I.E.L.D. team attempted to hold off the Cat-People. The group was almost overwhelmed when all of a sudden an explosion rocked the chamber and several militant reptile beings rushed into area. Noticing the Reptoids attacking their base of operations, the Cat-People stopped fighting the operatives and turned their attention to their reptilian enemies.

"_WHAT THE?" _Flavius hissed. _"WHO LED THE REPTOIDS HERE?"_

"I did." Coulson stated as he patted the dirt off his clothes. "I gave them an anonymous tip that their leader was in trouble and signaled them the location. I figured I would even out the playing field."

The Balkatar roared. Chaos erupted in the chamber as Cat-People fought Reptoid and vice versa. No one could tell what side either person was on as the deep hatred between the races escalated into violence. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents used this to their advantage as they darted toward their leader to assist him.

"_NO MATTER!" _ Flavius spat. _"THE RITUAL…WILL TAKE PLACE!" _He raised his half the seal and said the incantation again. At the same time, Dr. Voelker did as well. Together in unison they recited the spell.

"I invoke the power of our creator, Ebrok! Summon the beast and grant me the power to smite my enemies!"

The agents raced toward the pair but a tremendous explosion rocked the underground chamber. A surge of power force them back as the bodies of the Felis Balkatar and the Reptoid leader disappeared and in their place, two ten foot beasts stood in their place. The first resembled Flavius but with his grotesque skin now peeled off to reveal a monstrous catlike skull. His yellowish green eyes glowed through the blackened sockets of his face as a row of sharp teeth complete with a pair of huge canine incisors protruded from its mouth. His body was completely covered in thin dark fur with matted hair around the body and face as his tail lashed out with long thorny spikes at the end. His claws were longer and sharper and easily could tear apart any prey with ease. The operatives stepped back as the huge creature roared violently.

Dr. Voelker was just as monstrous. His face had been elongated to reveal a large snakelike head and fangs. A cobra's hood covered the neck and torso as scaly muscular arms with a single retractable claw connected to both wrists. The lower half was a huge serpentine tail to which the Reptoid doctor used to propel himself. The thing hissed at his enemies and at his rival as the two prepared to fight.

Coulson gasped as he addressed his team with concern. "Oh crap! They turned into the worst monsters possible. A Manticore and Basilisk! We're doomed!"


	14. Chapter 14

Gripping the switchblade tight within her hand, Stacy X ran through the underground tunnels of the Basilica as she heard the roars of something beastly coming from an opening to her left. She followed the sounds. Her boots stomped across the hard concrete, readied her knife as she crossed into a large opening only to see a frenzied fight occur within a huge stone chamber.

She pressed her back near the entrance to get a better view. Hundreds of cloaked Felis battled it out with an equal amount of Reptoid soldiers. Claws and teeth attacked at each other as both sides brutally attacked one another as each member of the Vala-Kuri fell dead upon the ground. Toward each corner of the room, Stacy noticed Agent May and Agent Amador fight off a slew of Cat-People and reptile warriors as the two groups went after the S.H.I.E.L.D agents as well as each other. She then shifted her gaze toward Luke Cage and Iron Fist, who alongside the Mockingbird and Night Thrasher, defended themselves against the onslaught of Vala-Kuri tribes. They seemed to be holding their own but the mutant girl knew it would only be a matter of time before each group overtook them.

Her face then scanned for Coulson who disappeared into the crowd. She stared toward the center where the ritual took place. The charred remains of the Baroness remained motionless, still strapped to a pole of a diamond shape on the ground while the burnt lifeless bodies of a male and female stood opposite of the H.Y.D.R.A. corpse. Stacy adjusted her eyes and frowned.

They were Agents Ward and Skye.

The mutant girl scowled. She had hoped to enact her revenge on Skye, a.k.a. The Tigra, for the murder of her sister Tanya but it was too late. The Cat-People's Balkatar, Flavius, sacrificed his only child and Agent Ward in order to enact the ritual. She heard the sounds of gunfire as a wave of both Cat-People and Reptoid bodies were flung around the chamber. Stacy stared at the man shooting the gun and realized that it was Agent Coulson. He was firing at a pair of large shadowed monsters that was causing havoc inside the chamber. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed the pair of enormous creatures, a demonic lion and an evil snake assaulting one another, while knocking over several members of the Vala-Kuri inside.

She stared at the huge beasts and noticed each one carrying each piece of the Ebrok seal embedded on their necks and realized the true identity of these monsters.

The Balkatar Flavius and Dr. Seth Voelker.

Stacy's skin suddenly reverted back to her reptilian state as noticed a shadow coming up behind wielding something large. The figure swung at her with a club and ducked just in time.

"Die Reptoid!" Raina's yellowish green eyes glowed as attacked the young woman with a large blunt object.

"NO!"

A voice protested from the side. An older female Cat-Person shoved her full body weight at Dr. Lumley, knocking the club out of her hand. Raina and the woman tumbled to the ground as both scrambled to gain control of the weapon. It turned out that the scientist in the flower dress was better at dirty fights. She kicked the other Felis in the stomach, pushed the older woman off, and grabbed the club. Still sore from the assault, the Cat-Person managed to get to her feet and stand in front of Stacy.

"Step aside, Eleanor!" Raina said to the Felis maid. "You shouldn't protect a Reptoid!"

Eleanor shook her head and stood her ground. "No, Dr. Lumley! There will be no more killing! I won't let you hurt this girl!"

Stacy was surprised by the woman's words. A Cat-Person was actually protecting her. Why?

Raina targeted her club at the servant in a threatening manner. "I said step aside! Your loyalty is with the Felis! You have no business here!"

Scared and nervous, the feline servant refused to budge. "I won't! My loyalty is with the Tigra! She is the true protector of all the Vala-Kuri! Flavius corrupted the Felis long ago and sacrificed his daughter for his own personal gain! He no longer has compassion or sympathy for us! I no longer follow him!"

"Then die like a traitor!" Raina cursed. She charged at the older woman.

Eleanor covered her face and screamed. With no other choice, Stacy tossed her switchblade at Raina. It struck the scientist's neck, ran through her esophagus and out the other end of her throat. Blood seeped from the wounds as the woman in the floral dress clutched her seeping wounds, rolled her eyes to the back of her head, and collapsed dead on to the ground.

The Felis maid embraced the young woman and comforted her. "Thank you."

Stacy stared at the Cat-Person with curiosity. "Why? Why did you defend me? Aren't we sworn enemies?"

The servant shook his head and smiled. "Stacy, there's something you must know…"

Pain ripped through both women. Their insides burned as if set on fire. Clutching their arms, they toppled to the dirt and howled in anguish.

* * *

Far across the other side of the chamber, the Basilisk and the Chimera wrestled with their teeth, claws, and deadly tails while the warring Vala-Kuri started to experience the same painful effects that befell Stacy X and Eleanor.

Agent Morse withdrew her staff that she almost used on an attacking Felis when she noticed the Cat-Person buckle to floor in pain. Akela Amador was close to punching her Reptoid opponent with her bionic arm as was Agent May who kicked another Vala-Kuri in the chest when both tribes suddenly dropped to the ground and began clutching their sides. Even Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Agent Triplett had to stop fighting their adversaries when their enemies collapsed and began shrieking in total torment. The S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives were left confused.

"What's happening?" May asked Coulson who managed to elude the warring creatures through the team's communicator.

"It's the curse of the Ebrok seal!" The group's leader explained. "With both halves split, the demons inside Voelker's and Flavius's bodies can't harm either side of the Vala-Kuri. The demonic power is confused to which clan should be eradicated. Instead, it's punishing them all by killing the Felis and the Reptoids!"

"We've got to put a stop to it!" Agent Morse declared.

Akela stared at the glowing seals embedded in the necks of the two battling monsters. "How? Each half is stuck on those two things."

Luke Cage pounded his fist. "Then I say we take both back."

Iron Fist observed the Basilisk trying to bite the Chimera with its sharp fangs before the giant lion swiped the reptile with its paw. He shrugged. "Anyone want to volunteer to go on a death mission? I'd rather go last."

Agent Triplett watched all of the Vala-Kuri clutching for breath. "We better do something soon. The Cat-People and Reptoids aren't going to make it."

Suddenly the Chimera's spike tail came out nowhere. It slammed down hard upon the ground as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents ran for cover.

This mission was going to be harder than they anticipated.

* * *

_The sun did not feel as hot this time._

_Skye felt wonderful sensation of a muscular arm holding her. She turned her head to see the familiar image of dark hair and a chiseled face comforting her. Her fingers touched his cheek._

"_Grant?"_

_The handsome man smiled. "Am I dreaming?"_

_She shrugged. "I don't know but if I am I don't want to wake up."_

"_Me too." He grinned. He leaned in and kissed her. It was heaven._

_Breaking away, he assisted her up as the Wonder Man took in the strange atmosphere and noticed the Egyptian pyramids in the background._

"_Egypt? We're in Egypt?"_

"_Not quite," said Skye. "It's a place that has existed for centuries and is beyond the borders of time or space. Think Star Wars in the galaxy, a long, long time ago, far, far away."_

_Grant giggled at her geeky reference. "So where are we?"_

"_I think some place that's like the Land of the Dead." She guessed._

"_Heaven?"_

"_I don't know," she replied. "But it isn't Hell. I don't see any devil horns, pitchforks or burning brimstone. I think that's a good sign."_

_The operative sighed. "With my luck, I was expecting for a one-way trip. I'm not exactly on the side of good."_

_She placed her arms around him and kissed him. "I don't believe that!"_

_Wherever they were, being together helped them through their current situation. Skye put her hand in front of eyes to shield her from the sun when she saw cloaked figure heading toward their direction. The mystery person removed hood and offered her arms to the hacker._

"_Mom!"_

_Skye ran to Helene and embraced her._

"_Welcome back, Skye." The Felis smiled. She winked at Grant. "I see you brought a visitor. My, he is a handsome one."_

_Skye addressed Ward. "Grant, this is my mother, Helene. Mom, this is Agent Grant Ward."_

_Ward extended his hand. Helene shook it._

"_I'm so happy to finally meet the infamous agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's about time you two finally got together."_

"_What do you mean?" Grant asked._

_Helene laughed. "Don't you see, my children? There's a reason why you're here. You're in the astral place, the realm between the living and the dead. You brought here to fulfill your destiny."_

"_Destiny?" Skye scratched her head. "What destiny? Stopping Flavius and saving the rest of the Vala-Kuri? Perhaps it's escaped your logic but we died. Flavius succeeded in completing the ritual and sacrificing Grant and I."_

"_He did but he failed in succeeding in his own arrogant, misguided strategy."_

_Out of nowhere, Ebrok approached the group accompanied by Tigra who latched on to her lover's arm and appeared to be at peace and tranquil. She smiled at the couple._

"_Welcome, Grant Ward." He addressed the agent. "It's good to finally meet you."_

"_Likewise, Ebrok, sir." He greeted the sorcerer with respect. He stared at the tiger woman by his side. "I assume this is the real Tigra."_

"_The one and only." Tigra purred. Ebrok turned his head and glanced at her lovingly._

_Skye gestured to the great sorcerer. "You mentioned that Flavius failed in the ritual. How so?"_

"_Flavius incited the sacrifice, murdered who he needed to, and summoned my curse to punish all Vala-Kuri but he forgot to read my failsafe in the curse. Two great warriors that have been blessed to stop the curse and unite both the Cat-People and the Reptoids. Two important warriors who possess a great power that once was forgotten by both clans. That power which simply is referred to as…"_

"_Love." Skye answered. A light bulb lit up in her head. "I finally understand now. It was hatred that divided the Vala-Kuri into two warring factions and love that is going to unite them."_

_Tigra clapped her hands. "Very simplistic but necessary."_

_Flavius sighed. "I didn't realize it back then but my own worries and my own fears is what created the divide of the Vala-Kuri to begin with. I allowed my own fears of their feral nature instead of embracing their nature to dictate their segregation. I forgot the most important thing that united them. Love. It is stronger and powerful that I can imagine." He embraced Tigra and kissed her._

_The tiger woman laughed and put a hand to Skye's face. "You and I are one. We share the power of our true cat nature to guide and protect. Flavius corrupted us and turned us into a killer. No more. We are now in control. We must be the balance now to unite the Vala-Kuri. It's time for you and Grant to return."_

_Ward's eyes opened wide. "Can you do that? Can you bring us back to life?"_

"_Of course," smiled Ebrok. "I'm a great sorcerer. I can do anything."_

_He waved his hand as a strong pull forced the pair upward into the air. Skye and Ward held hands as their bodies lifted them toward the sun._

_Helene waved to them as she blew her daughter. "I love you, Skye. Always remember that. You've always made me proud. Kick your bastard father's ass!"_

"_I will, Mom." She whispered. "I love you. Take care."_

"_You too." Skye heard the woman whisper. "I love you too, my daughter."_

_The hacker looked at Ward who stared at her back. They gripped hands and followed the blinding light above them._

* * *

Screams of the tortured Vala-Kuri filled the underground chamber, bounced off the walls, and left the helpless S.H.I.E.L.D. agents unsure of what to do. Coulson scanned the entrance to see Eleanor and Stacy X writhing pain next to the dead body of Raina who had a knife in her neck. The group leader wondered how the former Centipede scientist ended up that way but he was more concerned with helping the howling anguish of the Felis and Reptoids while the demon monsters continued to fight one another at the center of the room.

"We have to get those retrieve those seals now!" Coulson ordered his team.

Everyone agreed and started to rush toward the battling beasts but the Manticore's spiked tail slammed in front of them and forced them to flee to safety.

"Easier said than done." Agent May responded as she took refuge near some heavy columns as the Basilisk's serpentine tail struck the wall and cracked it with a large slap.

"There's got to be another way!" Agent Morse advised as the monstrous lion nearly stepped on her. Thankfully, she did a cartwheel and tumbled out of its path.

"Somebody better think of something quick," said Luke Cage. "We're running out of options."

The Manticore and Basilisk eyed each other for a second before each one roared a challenge to their rival. The Basilisk struck out first, rearing its large mouth wide to reveal the two oversized snake fangs inside its mouth. It struck forward and snapped at the demonic lion. It missed. Maneuvering out of the serpent's path, the Manticore sprinted quickly before the huge snake could get a large bite out of its torso. In response to the Basilisk's attempt, the feline drew out of its claws and swung a paw at the reptile. Sharp talons raked through the scaly face and drew blood. The Basilisk was now ready for revenge.

Slithering across the floor, it dodged another blow of the Manticore's claws and refocused its attention to the beast. One again, it opened its mouth to display the pair of large fangs before releasing a forked tongue and emitting a transparent liquid on to the feline's face. A strange hissing sound came from the disfigured skull that once was Flavius as smoke and oozing liquid fell from the surface of the Manticore's grotesque mug. The demonic creature shrieked in terror as the acidic bile that came out of the Basilisk's mouth ate away at the deformed flesh.

Now wounded and bearing the marks of their opponent's attacks, a great fury arose between the two battling monsters. Without hesitation, the Manticore lunged at the Basilisk, embedded its claws and spike tail into the scaly arms of the serpent while the reptile wrapped it long tail around the big cat and tried to strangle the enormous feline. A set of fangs drew out of the Basilisk's wrists and stabbed the Manticore in the neck but despite their attempts neither animal backed down. They were going to fight to the death until one was left standing.

"They're going to kill each other!" Agent Triplett commented while observing the big monster battle.

"That's the plan." Iron Fist responded. "This is going to get ugly."

A loud eruption filled the chamber as a blinding white light forced the two creatures to release one another. The force of the brightness caused the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to step back for a moment and to adjust their eyes as a couple stood a few feet from the monster melee and held each other in a strong embrace.

Coulson squinted and his heart grew with excitement the moment he recognized the pair. He shouted with joy. "It's Skye and Ward! They're alive!"

Skye and Agent Ward smiled and waved to their companions but stopped when they heard the commotion of two large beasts coming up behind them. A huge serpentine shadow covered their faces as it slowly descended upon them and forced to jump out of the way. Panicked and startled, Skye could feel her human form changing quickly. Her body sprouted orange fur and black stripes as the back of her jeans grew a long moving tail. She grabbed Ward, made a long leap toward the walls of the chamber, and landed with both feet in front of her friends.

Ward stared at the woman he loved who now bore a cat appearance and scratched his head. "I thought you needed the pendant to summon the Tigra power?" He asked her.

Skye shrugged. "I guess I don't need it anymore. I can transform at will."

Coulson rushed to the pair and grinned. "I'm happy you're safe. I thought you died."

"Thank Ebrok for that." The hacker nodded as her yellowish green eyes glowed. "The sorcerer chose Grant and me to stop Flavius and Dr. Voelker. He brought us back!" She eyed the battling monsters. "I see we were too late to stop the ritual!"

Agent Morse approached Skye. "But can it be stopped?"

Skye nodded. "Ebrok granted me some knowledge before we left the astral plane on how to stop these demons. We need to remove the seal from each of them. Unite them and open up a portal to cast the creatures back in."

"Well, the removal of the seal is what we got." Antoine added. "However, it's the retrieval part that's put a wrench in our plans. None of us are able to get close to those things."

"Leave that to me." The hacker suggested. She picked her ears up and listened as the cries of the Vala-Kuri people echoed through her senses. They were suffering and she needed to save them. She came up with an immediate plan. "The Manticore and the Basilisk are too busy fighting themselves. We need a distraction. Can you guys keep them preoccupied while Ward and I grab the seals?"

"Consider it done." Agent May smiled. She led the team.

Once more, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents waited while both the lion and the serpent attacked each other with their teeth and claws. Melinda offered her strategy and waited a few seconds before instructing everyone to follow. When the signal was made, the group headed in. Agents May, Triplett, Amador, and Iron Fist handled the Flavius monster while Agents Morse, Luke Cage, and Coulson went after Dr. Voelker's version. Their plan was to distract the pair while Ward and Skye removed the seals from their neck. They only hoped it would work.

The Manticore roared. Agents May and Triplett fired their guns to gain the monster's attention. It worked. The huge lion bellowed, rocked the chamber with its screech and made the walls tremble with fear. Furious by their attempts to harm him, the Manticore whipped out its spike tail and tried to impale Melinda and Antoine with it. Luckily, Agent Amador's bionic legs whizzed through, jumped on the edge of the creature's appendage and slammed both her feet down hard on his fur, forcing the edge of the spikes to bury themselves inside the ground. The Manticore howled.

It was now Skye's turn. As Tigra, she now had full control of her cat-like powers. She darted near his immobilized tail, raced up the Manticore's back and leaped toward the seal attached to the creature's neck. Her sharp nails pried the artifact off the beast and jumped down to the floor. The demon growled as it managed to free itself and go after the tiger woman.

Meanwhile, Agents Coulson and Morse had their hands full with the Basilisk. Using their guns and staffs to distract the creature, it did nothing but annoy the beast into the rage. Even Luke Cage's superhuman fists did very little damage in harming the enormous serpent but it did provide enough time for Agent Ward to climb up the scaly thing's back and retrieve the other half the seal. Once Grant removed it from the snake's neck, he leaped off the Basilisk and joined Skye at the bottom.

Both monsters screeched loudly. Realized they had been tricked, they avoided the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and went after the couple. Skye grabbed other half of the Ebrok seal from Ward and united the two together. Light sealed the broken halves into one as the pair noticed the large beasts heading in their direction. She then turned to Grant and shot his a worried look.

"What do we do?" She asked him. "This was supposed to stop them."

Agent Ward gestured to her with an optimistic grin. "You forgot the last part of the clue Ebrok gave us."

He stared at the center of the floor where the diamond shaped symbol was traced out. Concentrating all his focus, his ionic abilities surged through body and right through his eyes. A powerful laser emitted, struck the middle of the ground as a huge pit suddenly appeared. It glowed as a weird portal opened deep within. Then with his hands raised, Wonder Man took the seal from Skye, tossed it inside the fathomless lit hole and watched as it descended into the bright light.

The cavern trembled. An eerie light glowed from the pit as the Manticore and the Basilisk reverted to fighting each other. Again they scratched, bit and battled as each beast wrestled and tumbled toward the huge hole. Within minutes, the large creatures fell inside as their roars filled the chamber while the entire room shook violently.

Almost instantly, the Vala-Kuri, Felis and Reptoids, began to feel the pain inside them subside. The anguish and torture started to dissipate as they slowly stood up on their feet as pieces of the underground cavern began to fall apart. Near the entrance, a recovering Eleanor assisted Stacy X up as the entire area started to breakaway.

"What's happening?" Stacy asked the Felis servant while the area quaked all around her.

"The Tigra must has broken the curse!" Eleanor said to the young girl. "The Basilica is crumbling! There's no need for an altar for the ritual! We have to get out of here!"

She grabbed the mutant by the hand and led her up the stairs.

Inside the room, the Cat-People and the Reptoids stopped fighting as they cowered in fear as debris from the ceiling began to topple toward them. Skye knew she has to something. Still in her Tigra form, she stood up near the altar and called out to the Vala-Kuri."

"Felis and Reptoids!" She announced. "I am your chosen guardian! The Tigra! There's no need to fight among ourselves anymore! Ebrok has chosen me to lead you and it's time that I do that! Hurry and escape through the tunnels outside! I want everyone safe before the Basilica kills us all! Go now!"

She pointed to the door. Miraculously, each Vala-Kuri reverted back from their animal guises back to their human forms as they helped each other out and carried the wounded and unharmed toward the stairs that led outside of the church. Skye waited until the last one had left the room before Coulson and the rest of the other agents joined her in escaping the toppling building.

"_Sir," _Jemma's voice came on Coulson's communicator. _"Richter scales are showing massive underground quake. You need to hurry before the church collapses."_

"Jemma," said Coulson. "Are you and Fitz near the entrance?"

"_Yes." _She said. _"I'm sorry to tell you this but Stacy went in to assist and she hasn't returned yet. I'm afraid she might be lost in the tunnels."_

"No." The group's leader reassured her. "She's making her way up. In fact, all the Vala-Kuri are. Have Fitz assist them out and to make sure they stay outside and wait for us. Also, do your thermal readings show anyone else inside the Basilica?"

"_Just the priest you knocked out." _Fitz answered on the line. _"All the clergy are in the abbey nearby."_

"Get the unconscious Father Etienne outside as well and wait for us with the rest of the Vala-Kuri."

"_Sure." _The pair answered.

The line went dead as the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rushed out of the entrance and through the tunnels. Strong foundation started to crack and fall everywhere as stone, wood, and dust filled the area in total destruction. Once everyone was outside safe and sound, the operatives and the Vala-Kuri watched as the historical French church, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, toppled to the ground.

Coulson sighed as he mumbled to himself. "The French government is not going to the fact that we destroyed a national landmark to save the world. Maria Hill is going to be pissed."


	15. Chapter 15

_The Tibet Monastery_

Everyone focused their attention on the large flat screen hanging on the wall featuring an international news broadcast.

"_The latest destruction of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in France serves as reminder of the terrorist attacks made by the now deceased criminal Dr. Seth Voelker and Baroness Heike Zemo from Germany who had criminal ties to the group H.Y.D.R.A. United States Special Forces, who have yet to be identified, have confirmed H.Y.D.R.A.'s involvement in the attacks of the Pentagon, Canada's Rockies Park, as well as the current attack on the historical French Catholic church. The president and government spokesperson Maria Hill has made an official statement concerning these incidents but reassures us that Interpol is doing everything in its power to prevent these situations from happening again…"_

Coulson shut off the television and breathed a sigh of relief. There was no mention of the Vala-Kuri, including the existence of Cat-People and Reptoids. He observed both clans peacefully socializing and mingling at their celebratory event as both sides finally raised the white flag and compromised a truce.

Much of this he had to thank Skye for. If not for the hacker's peaceful negotiating skills, the two animal tribes would have continued their long civil war. He was grateful she still embodied human compassion and empathy even if she carried the powerful Tigra spirit inside her. She truly was a great leader.

"Bourbon?"

Agent Ward stood next to the man and offered him a drink. The team's leader accepted it.

"Where's Skye?" Coulson asked him.

"She'll be down in a minute." Ward explained. "She needed to take care of something first."

Coulson sipped his drink and then turned to Ward. "So how does it feel to be back? Being a true hero, I mean?"

Grant smiled. "Weird. I never pictured myself a hero. A good soldier, sure. A superhero? That's going to take some getting used to."

"Accept it, Wonder Man." His superior smiled. "You've finally earned it."

Ward giggled. It was weird hearing himself laugh and he to admit he enjoyed actually experiencing emotions. "Sir, about everything that has happened? Me betraying the team? I wanted to say that I'm sorry…"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent raised his hand to stop him. "Agent Ward, you have no need to apologize. That's all in the past. We're all ashamed of the things we've done in the past but we can only hope we can change things for better and look toward the future. Sometimes you've got to give yourself that opportunity."

The two observed everyone in the room. Reptoids conversed with Felis. Cat-People danced with the reptilian individuals. It seemed all was forgiven. Ward vowed to do the same. He would explore new opportunities. Even his fellow agents were taking a risk. Jemma and Fitz gazed into each other's eyes as they danced around the room. The he noticed Agent Amador cutting a rug with Iron Fist, Danny Rand, on the dance floor. The foursome moved against the beat of the music before stealing a kiss. He smiled.

Agent May saw this too and frowned as she stood next to Coulson. "Speaking of which, it's never advisable for coworkers to get involved." She glared at Ward who blushed. "It becomes a conflict in the workplace."

"Oh hush, Melinda." Agent Morse smirked. She was joined by Luke Cage and Agent Triplett. "It's romantic. You're talking to the woman who has an off-again, on-again thing with Agent Clint Barton. It's never easy but somehow two agents can try to make it work."

Agent Triplett decided to try his luck. "Hey Melinda, I was wondering if you'd like to dance?"

May placed her hand in front of his face. "No."

Antoine shrugged and sighed. "Point taken."

Coulson turned to Luke and grinned. "Thank you, Mr. Cage, for your assistance in helping with this mission. I'll have the defense department deposit the money to your and Mr. Rand's accounts. You both are civilians now. We won't be calling upon your services any longer."

"Thanks, Agent Coulson." Luke nodded.

"One more thing," the group's leader remarked. "Commander Hill wanted us to attend a mandatory meeting after this. You and Danny's presence are required."

"What's it about?" The Power Man inquired.

Coulson shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that it's important. We'll take the bus to the meeting and then drop you two off when it's done. Right now we're just waiting on Skye."

"Where is Skye?" Luke wondered.

* * *

Inside a private bedroom, a saddened Stacy folded her arms and stared angrily at Skye. The Tigra had reverted back to her human side and appeared normal but it could not mask the feral being underneath.

Stacy X sneered at the hacker. "Just because you saved my life back there doesn't mean I forgive you for killing my sister! She was the only family I had until you murdered her!"

Skye exhaled. "I know, Stacy. I'm not asking for your forgiveness and I know I don't deserve it. Flavius and Dr. Voelker manipulated both us into doing things we didn't want to do so I'm hoping to set all the wrongs that have been committed by doing something right that has been long overdue."

The mutant frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Me and you have been abandoned by our parents when were babies." Skye started. "There's always some residual resentment there. Now my mother died trying to protect me from my father and your parents…"

"Me and Tanya to die out in the street!" Stacy interrupted. "Yeah, I know the whole story! They didn't want us so we were placed in foster care where we abused and neglected!"

The hacker shook her head. "That's not true!" She smiled. "Part of my power as the Tigra is clairvoyance and empathy. When I touch someone, I can see and feel their memories. The first time I touched the maid, Eleanor, she projected all her sadness and tragedy in her life. I guess what I'm saying is that Eleanor is not only a Felis but she's your…"

"Mother."

Dressed in long robes, the older woman displayed a comforting grin to the Reptoid girl. She closed her hands together as Stacy stood up from the bed.

"That's impossible!" She gasped. "You're a Cat-Person!"

"Yes," Eleanor nodded. "I am also your mother. Your father was a Reptoid. We fell in love and married in secret. Dr. Voelker and Flavius discovered our relationship and wanted to punish us to serve as an example for both Vala-Kuri clans. They orchestrated your father's murder and abducted Tanya and you to live among the human world and placed you in foster care. I was forbidden to ever see you both by the Balkatar and I was told if I did, the Felis would send assassins out to murder you. That is why I had to stay away. However, no matter where you or what you did, I never stopped loving you both."

Tears filled the mutant girl's eyes. "But the things that Tanya and I had done. Living on the streets, dealing drugs, and prostitution. How can you love a person like me?"

Embracing her tight, Eleanor gently stroked the young girl's back. "I know you lived a hard life and had to do things that you normally wouldn't do to survive. I don't fault you or blame you. I can only love you as the person you are now."

Stacy fell into her mother's arms as the void that was empty was now completely filled. She touched her mother's face and smiled through her tears. Then it hit her. "Tanya…I forgot. She's dead!"

Eleanor sighed. "I know. My poor eldest chose her path. You must choose yours. I will remember Tanya and love her for beautiful woman she had become." She paused for minute to accept her youngest wonderful arms and then released her to give her some important news. "Stacy, there's something else important that you must understand. The Tigra is our guardian but she can't remain with us for the duration so a new Balkatar must be chosen to lead the Vala-Kuri. That person is you!"

Stacy's mouth dropped. "Me? What do I know about leading? Besides, I'm a Reptoid! The Felis will never accept me!"

"It's not about accepting a Cat-Person or a Reptoid." Skye added. "It's about uniting both clans of the Vala-Kuri. You're half Felis and half Reptoid. That makes you more than capable of leading our people while I'm away!"

"Away?" The mutant asked. "Where are you going? Shouldn't you be staying here?"

The hacker shook her head. "The world needs to be protected. The ritual of the Ebrok seal proved that! It's not about protecting a single group of individuals! It's about protected the entire population on the planet. This monastery is designed to house all the Vala-Kuri so they live in secret and in peace and harmony as they once did. My purpose as the Tigra is to ensure that they always safely guarded from the evils of the world. That is why a Balkatar is needed to lead them in my stead. You are that person!"

Stacy clutched her chest. Never in her life did she feel that she was important. She nervously looked at Skye as the anger slowly vanished and she began to experience hope and happiness.

"Do you really think I can do this?" She asked the hacker.

Skye walked up to her, hugged her close, and whispered in her ear. "I know you can."

The mutant girl smiled and kissed the Tigra's cheek. "Thank you."

* * *

_The Haven_

Agent May carefully landed the bus off the California cliffs near the San Francisco valley area that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Everyone got off the plane as they followed the coordinates to secret bunker deep in the woods. A steel door near small concrete shack stood erected in the middle of a concealed spot of trees as the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader knocked loudly.

"Isn't there some giant hidden computer pad somewhere?" Agent Triplett wondered.

"Apparently, this one is old school." Luke Cage remarked.

Jemma clapped her hands. "How exciting! Another secretive S.H.I.E.L.D. base!"

Fitz put his arms around his new girlfriend and smiled. "Can't wait to check out their tech systems. I'm sure they could use a little updating."

Danny's stomach rumbled. He touched his belly. "I hope they serve food at this thing. I'm starving."

Agent Amador slipped her hands under his arms and purred. "Oh poor baby."

Melinda May rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh, get a room you two!"

Both Ward and Skye stepped back and secretly laughed.

Suddenly, a sliding panel on the steel door opened to reveal a pair of eyes.

"Name?"

Agent Morse approached the door. "Barbara Morse and Agent Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. team. Do we need a password?"

The steel door opened instantly. The group waited to see someone emerging from the shadows.

Dressed in a red smoking jacket, pajama bottoms, and smoking a pipe, a man bearing a resemblance to Billy Koenig greeted the team.

"Pfft, passwords are overrated." He snorted. "I can identify you by facial recognition."

"Billy?" Barbara asked.

The lookalike chuckled. "No, it's Tim. Tim Koenig. Yeah, I look exactly like my brothers Billy, Eric, and Sam but I'm the laid back one. Hence, the clothes. Anyway, the Big Guy is waiting for you in the lounge."

"The Big Guy?" Coulson wondered.

The team followed in as they noticed the interesting décor inside. It appeared to be single bachelor meets post-modern impressionism from the unique color schemes and knick-knacks that graced the walls and ceiling. They followed Tim toward the lounge where a man in civilian clothes and sporting an eye patch kicked his feet up in a leather recliner.

"It's about damn time!" Colonel Fury addressed the group. "How's the flight?"

"A little turbulence but we've been through worse," noted Coulson. "May is usually really good with getting through the storm."

Melinda cocked an eyebrow. "Good? I'm the best!"

"You got that right!" Fury smirked. He scanned the room as he examined each individual agent. "So this is your team? I can't say that it'd be my personal pick but I'm quite impressed with the roster!"

"Thank you, sir." The group's leader nodded. "Perhaps, you'd like to tell me why you called us here?"

Colonel Fury stood up and put his hands in his pocket. "As you know, when S.H.I.E.L.D. started we had a dream of bettering the world and making sure it was always defended by global threats. However, H.Y.D.R.A. ruined all that by infiltrating our organization and corrupting it. Now with S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded and new threats emerging, the world's leaders are calling forth for a newer organization with stricter monitoring and new guidelines."

"What is this new organization going to be called?" Agent Morse inquired.

"S.W.O.R.D." He answered. "The Sentient World Observation and Response Department. Long ass name for something that the Earth's governments want to scrutinize over."

Coulson scratched his head. "And you want us to be part of this new group? We're to be called agents of S.W.O.R.D.?"

The colonel shook his head. "Hell no! They've got their hands full just dealing with the PR department. Maria Hill is furious that she's been assigned to babysit them! I'm talking about a new team. A supergroup?"

Antoine leaned in. "Us? A supergroup?"

Fury scowled. "You're already are one, Night Thrasher! When I formed the Avengers Initiative, I had an idea to branch out into various teams that could assist with other global threats. A group made up of highly trained individuals who can be called to handle missions when the Avengers are unable to be summoned. For now, your team would be the start-up. The West Coast Division."

"The West Coast Avengers?" Coulson folded his arms. "Isn't that a little ambitious?"

"Ambitious? Hell yeah!" The colonel explained. "Right now, Coulson, I've got my eyeballs in Avenger threats. I've got an artificial intelligence that's gone rogue, two mutant twins on the loose whose father is a mutant magnetic terrorist, H.Y.D.R.A., aliens, and some magical beings entering from some Strange territory. I'm up to my eyeballs in outside threats. I need a team now and from the looks of it, you guys fit the bill!"

"Are you sure we're up for this?" The group's leader wondered.

Agent Morse stepped in. "Of course, Coulson. You've got experienced agents, me, Triplett, and May. A cybernetic agent. A Tigra and a Wonder Man. Heck, we're in throw in a martial artist and an MMA fighter."

"Whoa!" Luke protested. "I never signed up to be a superhero! I've got a kid on the way! I can't be risking my life!"

Fury put on his serious face. "We'll pay well for your services. Plus, we can make arrangements for your girlfriend and child to live here in California and housing expenses. Also, if you want we'll even throw in private school and future college tuition in the mix!"

"Sold!" Iron Fist extended his hand. Luke did not argue. The colonel refused to shake it.

"I guess we're superheroes now." Skye clucked. "Go figure."

"One more thing," Fury advised. "Since you'll be out in the public eye, you'll need to go undercover. You'll need new identities and codenames.

"I'm sticking with Iron Fist!" Danny said excitedly.

Luke slapped his forehead. "No way, am I calling myself Power Man. That's lame."

Agent Amador sighed. "I guess I'm going with Misty Knight. I hate my porn name."

Barbara smiled. "Mockingbird it is.

"Night Thrasher." Antoine grinned.

Coulson glanced at Fitz and Simmons who shook their heads.

"We don't need codenames," Fitz explained. "We're in the background."

"But if we did," said Jemma. "I'd be Lady Bio-derm and Fitz would be Geek Squad!"

The engineer groaned. "Sounds like pharmaceutical product and the department at Best Buy."

Colonel Fury nodded. "Then it's settled. Coulson will lead the West Coast Avengers." He looked around the room to see two members missing. "Where's Tigra and Wonder Man?"

* * *

Standing outside of the Haven's balcony that overlooked the ocean, Ward and Skye held hands. The tall agent touched the woman's face, slipped his hand around her waist and drew her close. Then they kissed.

It was electric.

Skye broke away for a moment to look at the handsome man. "So what happens now? We become real superheroes?"

"I guess so," said Ward. "I'll be Wonder Man and you'll be Tigra."

Skye smiled at the idea of them fighting evil together. She turned toward the rolling waves and felt the breeze whip through her hair.

"It's funny," she mentioned. "I always have wondered what it would be like to search for my family and when I finally found them, they turned out not to be so great. Well, my father, actually. I guess some people were never meant to have a family."

Grant exhaled. "Then again, Skye, some families shouldn't exist. I come from a dysfunctional one where the constant abuse and mind games were considered acceptable. I never learn or understood love until I met you." He turned to the hacker. "I finally understand that now. For the first time, I can say I'm happy. I'm able to feel. I'm able to connect. You broke through my walls and for that I'm grateful." He pulled her in again. "I love you, Skye."

"I love you too, Grant." She giggled.

Their mouths met again and this time they did not pull away.

It was everything.

It was perfect.

_**The End.**_

* * *

_**Author's Note**__**: You might recognize some comic book names in this fanfic. Let's start with Barbara Morse, who many of you might now as Mockingbird from the West Coast Avengers. Background story, she was a brainwashed agent who operated under the name Huntress (pre-DC universe) for a time.**_

_**I saw Agent Triplett and Akela having a close connection with Night Thrasher and Misty Knight. Ever since the show slightly changed Mike Peterson as Deathlok's background, I decided to do the same.**_

_**There are some similarities with Skye and Tigra. Both came from a feral creature background. Both appear to have some mystical properties involving some form of animism (animal connection) so that's what I went with. Somebody online made a theory that Skye might be closely connected with the heroine Mantis but we'll see as the show progresses in the next season.**_

_**Ward and Wonder Man have a strong similarity. Both come from a dysfunctional well-to-do family background. Both men have an evil brother (Wonder Man's sibling is the villain Reaper) and both started off as villains to heroes. I thought I would use that for this story.**_

_**Lastly, I used the Cat-People reference from the comic books. This made the connection to Tigra some depth give her more of a backstory. The Vala-Kuri and Reptoids are more from the Savage Lands from the Ka-Zar comics universe but I wanted to incorporate my version of it as well.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed this fanfic. Please check out my others on my profile.**_

_**-Kidscomix**_


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